UCTOOT CH72.1

Taikang Year 11, Spring. Dasheng Prefecture suffered military disaster. Senzhou, Chuituo Prefecture, and Yong’an Prefecture were implicated. A large number of refugees fled south, an endless stream on the roads.

Full-scale war began, the fires of war spreading across the land.

Under the clear blue sky, green trees provided shade for pedestrians dragging their families along.

Shi Shu leaned on a bamboo cane with one hand. Du Zihan, who was in front, saw the sentry post at the road intersection and turned back: “By the way, Shi Shu, I’ve been scared lately. Will your ex-boyfriend go crazy looking for you everywhere and imprison you?”

Shi Shu raised his eyes slightly: “Ex-boyfriend? Imprison?”

Du Zihan: “Just locking you up fiercely, then forced love, heard of coercive love?”

Shi Shu felt the sky collapse: “No way, are gay men that ridiculous?”

The sentry was checking travel permits, but there were too many refugees in chaotic times, so he just turned a blind eye and waved his hand indifferently.

Du Zihan said: “Just that joke. A guy added a boss who said he’d give him 50,000 pocket money a month and wanted to keep him. But this person said: I’m straight. The boss said, then 100,000 a month, you can be bent. Your relationship with Brother Xie, why can’t it be somewhat similar?”

Shi Shu: “Not similar at all, okay? Scared me to death.”

Shi Shu was walking on a grassy hillside. He threw the bamboo cane in his hand and fell onto the grass, rolling from the green mountaintop all the way down the slope. The warm sun shone, and little blades of grass tickled his skin.

The green grass was soft, spreading over the whole hillside. Shi Shu kept rolling and rolling in the grass. Laifu ran in the grass with him, rolling until he couldn’t roll anymore.

Shi Shu squinted in the dazzling sunlight. Ex-boyfriend? If not for being stimulated occasionally, Xie Wuchi, this name that had become the past tense of life, would almost be forgotten sometimes. But once thought of, memories began to revive.

Did he date Xie Wuchi?

The scene of parting flooded into memory again. Xie Wuchi’s wrist dripping with blood, pale-faced saying those words. Shi Shu always wanted to hear them to adjust his relationship with him, but never expected it would be at parting.

I love you, I like you.

How is Xie Wuchi now? Is his hand okay?

Shi Shu closed his eyes, thinking this long winter was finally over.

When he opened his eyes again, Du Zihan was running down the mountain carrying the bamboo cane and luggage, shouting: “Is this the water of the Cha River? It’s all melted, irrigating the whole grassland. Soon there will be herds of cattle and sheep.”

Shi Shu sat up straight and walked into the riverbed with murmuring flowing water. The warm current slid over his feet: “Indeed, the Cha River has thawed. Then Northern Min’s revenge is about to begin…?”

Grain transport was inconvenient in winter; the weather was freezing, making marching difficult. Now it was spring, clearly a season of recovery and hope for all things, but Northern Min had cities retaken and was reorganizing troops and armor. Conquest and slaughter were probably about to begin.

In the future, this northern land would probably be a chaotic war zone where warlords competed for dominance.

Shi Shu took out a water skin, filled it with sweet snow water, walked forward, and waved away his thoughts: “Are we leaving the boundary of Taiyin Prefecture soon?”

Du Zihan was sleepwalking: “Should be.”

Shi Shu picked up the bamboo cane, stepping through the river and striding forward: “Then hurry up.”

“By the way, what did Brother Xie say to you when leaving?”

“He values privacy, so let’s not say.”

“Then did you say anything to him?”

Shi Shu stepped through the water forward. Finally, he recalled the words he wanted to say to him: Xie Wuchi, take care, look after yourself, and don’t take off your clothes randomly for people to see. Someone will be good to you. Thinking carefully now, leaving was very heartless.

“Forget it, forgot.” Shi Shu looked up. “Let’s go.”

This war of annihilation between Great Jing and Northern Min arrived early because of Xie Wuchi. The common people suffered, peace was gone forever, and next would be endless war fires and sword glints.

Border disasters arose.

The two walked down along the river. On the road behind, carriages and horses carried supplies, refugees filled the wilderness. It was exactly people fleeing because of the spreading fire, covering the whole road, dragging families along.

In the rolling smoke and dust, they moved forward collectively, trying to find a place for common people to settle down in this dynasty before disaster struck.

Following the refugee group, they walked all the way south. Shi Shu carefully calculated their journey: “Should we find a righteous army to join? Or find other time travelers to form a team?”

Du Zihan held back laughter: “Searching for justice.”

Shi Shu raised the bamboo cane, his back figure handsome and aloof: “Searching for justice!”

“Brother Justice, how much money do you have left? If I knew we were running away, I would have taken more from Brother Xie.”

Shi Shu calmed down, walking and saying: “I didn’t take his. I only took the money I saved myself. Saved a little helping at the Prince’s pharmacy, then gathered bits and pieces later. No money is no money; can’t I live without him? I’m nineteen.”

Shi Shu and Du Zihan were walking in a deep mountain forest. Seeing green shade reaching the sky, grass and trees deep and beautiful, birds and beasts circling in the forest. Unexpectedly, just as his voice fell, a big man holding a knife jumped out of the grass, shouting: “If you want to pass this road, leave money to buy passage!” Scaring Shi Shu into screaming “Ahhhhhhh”, quickly handing the wallet in his pocket to him. After the person left, the two looked at each other. Shi Shu took out the last few pieces of broken silver from his sleeve: “Luckily, I kept a few pieces in my sleeve.”

Du Zihan: “You’re quite smart.”

Shi Shu: “Hahaha, pretty okay.”

“……”

Wandering life unfolded unexpectedly before their eyes. Shi Shu had guessed early on it wouldn’t be easy. In the initial period, Shi Shu almost mixed in the southward refugee team. Some prefectures were relatively friendly to refugees and would distribute porridge outside the city gate. Shi Shu and Du Zihan followed this group of refugees at first.

But most refugees had poor health and lacked nutrition, dying of illness from time to time. Shi Shu went to work for a few days, saved money to buy herbs, and started working as a wandering doctor, setting prices very low, small profits but quick turnover.

However, Shi Shu could only treat mild illnesses, daring not treat severe ones, and could only pick some general cold and fever medicine for people. But in the harsh environment of refugees, it was already considered very good. However, difficulties were also encountered, such as patients being poor and unable to pay medical fees. Shi Shu softened his heart and gave for free, finding he earned nothing after a few days, so he had to go work again. In short, although there were waves, a stable life could be maintained after solving them.

Not long after, the government incorporated refugees. Some were conscripted for corvée labor, some taken to military settlement areas to serve. Shi Shu asked Du Zihan: “Shall we stop?”

Du Zihan said: “Let’s go? Haven’t found righteous people yet. When tired of walking, then settle down.”

Shi Shu said: “I think so too. Great Jing’s rivers and mountains are beautiful. Wandering everywhere, treat it as a road trip.”

However, righteous people. What exactly counts as a righteous person? At least a benevolent and righteous person, a wise ruler like Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Then he and Du Zihan go to join him, building a dynasty for the people. Or, is there a rebel army rising up? Formed by common people, fighting for themselves.

Shi Shu also felt these ideas were somewhat naive. After the New Policies, there were probably few people in the world whose reputation surpassed Xie Wuchi’s, yet benevolence and righteousness were sometimes just a disguise.

Shi Shu and Du Zihan moved on this strange continent, often having no place to sleep at night, living in deserted temples. Fortunately, the weather turned warm, no longer cold. Without Xie Wuchi’s official documents, they couldn’t stay in courier stations anymore, only able to stay in others’ homes or find a wild graveyard.

Occasionally while traveling, they would be chased a hundred meters by village geese. Shi Shu’s screams floated distortedly in the sky, daring not hit the geese, having to compensate if injured. Waiting until running far away and looking at Du Zihan, he couldn’t help but start laughing wildly again.

Geese were okay. Meeting bad-tempered dog packs, Laifu’s legs also trembled. Shi Shu summarized a method to scare dogs, which was to squat on the ground pretending to touch a stone. Every time they met a dog, he and Du Zihan squatted on the ground in unison.

Sometimes accidentally chased by cows, butted by sheep, falling into the river catching fish, pinched by crabs, getting covered in mud catching eels, then running while laughing and screaming.

At first, Shi Shu wasn’t used to the life of dining on wind and sleeping in dew. Often no bed to sleep on at night, feeling vigilant and lonely late at night. But Shi Shu also met some hunters, traveling merchants, peddlers, and pawns on the road. Ordinary people traveled north and south; strong people lived this kind of life. Going hungry, suffering cold, also had to lower head, be silent, temper oneself.

Chaos had arrived. People fleeing with them covered the roads. Wanting stability meant going to civilian settlements, or finding a wealthy family to work as laborers, even selling oneself as a slave. Shi Shu and Du Zihan didn’t want to stop for the time being.

They wanted to move forward.

Reading can understand the depth of the world; traveling can understand the breadth of the world.

Shi Shu hadn’t walked to the end of the world yet.

Used to this life, used to sudden rainstorms soaking like a dog, living in the woodshed of a restaurant, telling ghost stories on grave mounds at midnight, climbing trees to avoid wild dogs, often walking night roads, listening to Du Zihan sing while walking, finding out after a few days it was the same song, Du Zihan singing out of tune every day.

Approaching summer, looking up in the evening was sunset clouds.

Occasionally could eat a meal at a farmer’s house. Before, a wealthy family was particularly enthusiastic towards Shi Shu, receiving him with good wine and food every day, only later discovering they fancied Shi Shu as a live-in son-in-law, scaring him into running away overnight. Love debts really couldn’t be paid clean.

But Shi Shu generally ran to temples, basically could be helped for a day or two, not for long. Often encountering village markets on the road, Shi Shu set up a stall to sell medicine, Du Zihan studied metaphysics and fortune-telling, earning some income. But one day Shi Shu said: “No, why are we becoming more and more like swindlers walking the Jianghu?”

Du Zihan: “………………”

But, Shi Little Shu doesn’t sell fake medicine! Shi Shu argued: “Many of my prescriptions are Lin Yangchun’s unique skills; he was the chief imperial physician of the Imperial Hospital. Everyone passing by come take a look, Divine Doctor Lin’s super golden sore medicine, reduces swelling and relieves pain, removes blood stasis, treats rheumatism and bone pain—why does it sound more and more like it?”

“Hahahahahahaha!” Du Zihan’s wild laughter shook the market.

Also happened to snatch business, approached by rogues. Before, Shi Shu would have fought them, but now he grabbed his bag and ran.

Walking during the day, idle at night. For a while, Shi Shu thought about writing a diary, but as soon as he picked up the pen, he remembered a certain old friend, so he simply gave up this decision, only keeping accounts every day.

The journey wasn’t bad, but not good either. No money anyway, running around excitedly every day. No place to return to was also not bad; that meant complete freedom.

Shi Shu initially tried to find other time travelers, or inquire where there was a righteous army, but got no good news so far. Du Zihan wrote a lonely √3 on his clothes with ink: “Just this pattern, we travel north and south, time travelers will recognize it at a glance.”

Shi Shu: “Aren’t you afraid of attracting another Xie Wuchi type?”

Du Zihan: “His type, rarely one in ten thousand.”

Yes, he reached the peak on the road of power, while I walked a completely different path.

A real man should travel the blue sea in the morning and the verdant parasol trees in the evening.

Experienced a lot with Xie Wuchi, whether Xiangnan Temple, Liushui Nunnery, Shukang Prefecture, Qian’an Prefecture, or the three thousand miles of Taiyin Prefecture road… Although every step in the past was thorny and full of bumps, reaching the end, joys and sorrows settled, but it didn’t mean a part of him ended.

Life’s journey just started! Next, Shi Shu would keep walking and walking…

Steps never stopping.

Shi Shu and Du Zihan traveled all the way. In August, unexpectedly Du Zihan suddenly suffered from dysentery, vomiting and having diarrhea every day, face sallow. Shi Shu stopped with him in a small county town called Chencai, going out daily to set up a stall selling medicine to earn money, using the money to buy medicine to brew for Du Zihan.

Du Zihan was physically weak, temporarily unsuitable for long travel, so the two stayed in this small town, not traveling for about half a month.

Chencai was a small town in Shukang Prefecture, rich in Fuling (Poria cocos). Every July and August, people went into the mountains to dig, needing to dig open pine tree roots to take out complete rhizomes. Many people made a living from this. Shi Shu and Du Zihan went to the wilderness together, carrying small baskets.

What entered Shi Shu’s eyes was a wild mountain, trees deep and beautiful, simple and vast, mountain ranges endless. When Shi Shu walked to the foot of the mountain carrying a basket, he saw many cages and traps for hunting wild beasts, crowds gathering together.

Shi Shu was just preparing to go up when he was stopped: “Wait! Young man, don’t rush, wait for more people to go up the mountain together!”

Shi Shu turned his head and asked: “What’s wrong?”

This person said: “There are fierce tigers in this mountain. Best to go in company, might be eaten by tigers! In previous years, there were people who went up alone to dig Fuling and were eaten by tigers.”

Shi Shu’s back felt cold, turning to run: “There are fierce tigers, and you still go up the mountain? Ahhhhhhh why aren’t you running?”

This person smiled and said: “Chencai is rich in Fuling; these are all for selling money! Even if eaten by tigers, still have to go up the mountain, otherwise how do we common people live? If you’re afraid, you go back.”

Seeing so many people going up the mountain, thinking of Du Zihan bedridden, Shi Shu said: “Take me, take me! I’ll go with you!”

“That’s right, young man so timid?”

Shi Shu: “……”

Hunters and common people were very friendly. After Shi Shu went up the mountain with them, the forest shade covered the sun. Dog days weather, but instantly became cold from head to tail, very chilly among grass and trees. As the saying goes, clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger. A faint smell of blood floated in the gloominess of this wind, making one’s ankles cold.

People hurriedly took out hoes to dig Fuling; tigers dared not appear when there were many people. Shi Shu dug quickly, digging open pine bottoms to dig out Fuling, shaking off mud, putting into small baskets woven from bamboo.

While Shi Shu was digging soil, he didn’t notice a person walking past him, asking: “Brother, has the Fuling under that pine forest over there been dug?”

Shi Shu looked up. It was a young man, dressed simply, thin face, also a poor commoner. Shi Shu looked back at people distributed in the forest, saying: “Nobody dug over there yet, don’t go too far! Tigers eat people.”

This person smiled and said: “Thanks.”

After speaking, this person walked away. Shi Shu didn’t pay too much attention to him, always careful not to separate from hunters. However, also because he dared not go too far, he didn’t dig much Fuling, pocket empty.

People in the crowd gradually became restless: “Haven’t seen tigers all along, afraid we’re scaring ourselves?”

“Yeah, let’s not stay here. Big pine forest up there. My friend in the village carried back a basket yesterday, sold for lots of money. Just today’s harvest, how can it do?”

“Let’s go further up? Dig a bit more.”

Those few hunters snorted coldly: “Go up if you’re not afraid of death. Hard to persuade a ghost bound for death with good words.”

Shi Shu was hesitating. No income if not going, afraid of death if going. Thinking repeatedly, decided forget it, making money wasn’t urgent for this moment. He sat on a haystack fanning himself, seeing some bold ones shouting and walking into the deep forest. One of them was that thin-faced one who spoke two sentences.

Shi Shu continued digging pine roots. Slowly getting late, hunters drove everyone down the mountain: “Go quickly! Now it’s cool, tigers are coming out to forage! Come again tomorrow, careful of being eaten!”

Some people went too far, couldn’t hear hunters’ voices. Shi Shu ran forward enthusiastically, shouting loudly to those people: “Quickly down the mountain! Time’s up! Tigers coming out in a moment!”

People walked back sparsely. Shi Shu was also a bit anxious: “Don’t say, this feeling is terrifying. Just like ghosts appearing at midnight.”

Shi Shu watched from the side. Everyone returned, but that thin face didn’t appear for a long time.

Shi Shu asked: “Anyone not back yet?”

Someone said: “One more, digging Fuling very fast, saw going into the valley.”

Shi Shu didn’t want to care, but this was a living life. Standing on that hilltop looking down, grass and trees lush in this valley, trees almost drowning people, a river extremely quiet, gloomy and cold. Clearly a hot day in summer, the mountain forest gave a feeling of pitch-black darkness.

Shi Shu shouted: “Hey! Anyone there, let’s go!”

People behind didn’t wait, going down the mountain one after another. Shi Shu became the only one left, the cold feeling stronger. Shi Shu swallowed gently, deciding to walk to that stone in front, shout three more times. If this person still couldn’t hear, Shi Shu would leave.

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