UCTOOT CH101

The bright sunlight illuminated the courtyard, casting cool shadows from the rockery and bamboo grove.

Splash, splash. The sound of gurgling water. Shi Shu stood by the well, lowering his head to drink a mouthful of ice-cold water. As he bent down, half of his fair, handsome back was exposed, showing scabs peeling off his skin.

Gulp… Shi Shu spat out the water, washing away the taste of blood in his mouth. “How many more days is this tooth going to hurt? How many more days are you going to lock me up? How many days has it been? How long are you keeping me here?”

Just as Shi Shu was about to put a slice of ginger back into his mouth, Xie Wuchi stepped into the courtyard entrance, dressed in the crimson-purple official robes of high rank.

In an instant, Shi Shu’s brow twitched. He feigned sudden blindness at the speed of light and bolted toward the house with a whoosh.

Footsteps followed closely behind. Shi Shu walked into the study and pretended to read. Xie Wuchi entered the study. Shi Shu ran to the bedroom, thinking surely he won’t chase me here, but the footsteps followed right on his heels.

Shi Shu sat on the bed, flipped open a book at random, and pretended to read. Unexpectedly, Xie Wuchi sat down beside him. “Tooth still hurts?”

Shi Shu put down the book, speaking as if they were chatting normally: “It’s okay, basically almost healed now. Not a big deal. Where have you been these past few days?”

“Discussing military affairs.”

Xie Wuchi extended a hand to touch his face. Shi Shu’s jaw was fair and delicate, his skin clean and smooth. Shi Shu let him stroke his face without saying anything, until Xie Wuchi pressed his thumb down, gently prying open the corner of his lips.

The finger pad was scalding hot. Shi Shu simply opened his mouth to let him look. “When can I leave this room?”

Xie Wuchi avoided the question. Shi Shu couldn’t help but laugh instead. As they sat in silence with nothing to say, Xie Wuchi noticed something else. His knuckles lifted the bedding, and he pulled out a box of ointment and a dried sheep intestine [condom] from underneath.

“…” Shi Shu’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his calm. Without much shame, he said, “That’s right, I put those there on purpose. Xie Wuchi, I’m ready to go to bed with you.”

Shi Shu lay back on the bed. “If I could give birth, I’d birth a whole litter for you. I’d stay in your harem and guard it for you forever.”

Xie Wuchi: “Shi Shu.”

Shi Shu was very angry, but after thinking about it, he said it anyway: “Originally, since you didn’t agree to Xiao Shu’s strategy, this matter wouldn’t have succeeded. I’m not someone who disregards my own life, so I don’t understand why you insisted on locking me up. Maybe you think you’re doing it for my own good. And, well, you actually are doing it for my own good.”

“Xie Wuchi, I am not as capable as you. So, there is actually nothing wrong with you making decisions for me.”

The implication in Xie Wuchi’s tone deepened: “Shi Shu.”

“This world operates on the law of the jungle, the weak are prey to the strong. It’s just that I was too slow to understand this truth. Not only do I fail to understand all this, I’m starting to fail to understand my own heart.”

Shi Shu turned his body away. “I should speak fewer angry words, lest I hurt someone.”

Lying on the bed, Shi Shu picked up the box of ointment Lin Yangchun had given him, staring at the threaded lid. He unscrewed it and screwed it back on, aligning the patterns, just playing with it endlessly.

“How much longer are you going to keep me locked up?”

Xie Wuchi: “Until the Min army withdraws and the troops return to Yanzhou.”

Shi Shu shifted to a more comfortable position. “That’s fine too.”

Thus, neither spoke again, falling into silence. The summer was hot, currently the height of August. The sun beat down directly on the vast earth, scorching the ground. Even with ice blocks in the room, they couldn’t resist the rising, irritable heat.

Shi Shu put down the box. “Want a nap? I’ll sleep with you for a while.”

Xie Wuchi had already unbuttoned his outer robe and hung it on the wall. The light gauze curtains hung down by the bed. After climbing into bed, Shi Shu lay beside Xie Wuchi, his fingers tugging and playing with Xie Wuchi’s sash.

Shi Shu helped Xie Wuchi undo his clothes, leaned in to kiss him, and then tried to sleep, staring open-eyed at the ceiling. His vision seemed a bit blurry; he rubbed his eyes and continued staring at the weave of the gauze curtains.

Shi Shu had always been in good health, but being locked up these past few days was too boring. He slept from morning till night every day; too much sleep was giving him a splitting headache.

Unable to sleep and bored, he recalled past events. He remembered the monk’s dormitory at Xiangnan Temple, where the two of them squeezed onto a small Zen bed. Xie Wuchi clearly had mysophobia at the beginning. When Shi Shu woke up and went to wash, Xie Wuchi was checking if the bed was dirty.

“…” At the time, Shi Shu found it hard to keep a straight face and told him, “Bro, I’m not the kind of guy who sheds color.”

Xie Wuchi said indifferently, “You’d better not be.”

And true to his word, he wasn’t. It got to the point where every day Shi Shu woke up, he would first check if he had faded, or if there were yellow signs on the quilt. But Shi Shu hadn’t faded color from childhood to adulthood; if he said he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t. Xie Wuchi finally stopped looking at him with colored glasses.

Thinking of this, Shi Shu couldn’t help but want to smile. Xie Wuchi had always been so pretentious, pretending to be cool. But he was very attentive, meticulous to a fault, and treated Shi Shu very well. He would take him to see the Chinese medicine doctor, make him drink herbal medicine on time every day, and bribe the monks in the temple to secretly take him to eat meat, terrified that Shi Shu would die of anemia.

Thinking of this, Shi Shu thought: Hehe.

But then he thought, His motives back then weren’t pure: Not hehe.

Shi Shu restrained his smile slightly. Xie Wuchi was also good at raising Laifu, even though he obviously disliked dogs and hated pets. Laifu had a bad habit of pouncing on people, and initially pounced on Xie Wuchi too, dirtying his monk robes.

But Xie Wuchi couldn’t beat the dog in front of Shi Shu!

One day, as soon as Shi Shu woke up, he saw Xie Wuchi under the Bodhi tree in the Zen courtyard, holding a steamed bun and training the dog. He broke it into pieces, making Laifu “sit,” “shake hands,” “left hand,” “right hand,” “count off,” “lie down,” and “fetch,” all while wearing that expression he used for looking at dogs. It was absolutely peerless.

Shi Shu had been wondering, Laifu, how can you, a big yellow dog, know how to count? Are you a divine dog? Turns out Xie Wuchi trained him! However, since Shi Shu woke up too late, and Xie Wuchi generally rose early to start a beautiful day, Shi Shu missed a lot of his time.

Thinking of this, Shi Shu found it funny again; the corners of his mouth were hard to suppress.

However, did Xie Wuchi think back then: Shi Shu is really an annoying kid, can’t even feed himself but insists on keeping a dog. What a willful and unreasonable brat. Eating his food, drinking his drink, and making himself right at home.

Shi Shu hummed softly in his heart and changed his sleeping position on the pillow. Then he remembered the first time Xie Wuchi revealed his true nature to him. That was the day they sent Xiao Shu to the village forty miles away and returned late.

Before that, Shi Shu always thought Xie Wuchi was a very noble, high-class person. Looking at his exterior, one would assume he had received an elite education. Leaving aside the deceptive face born of superior genes, his conversation, diction, and even the pauses in his tone seemed deliberately trained, carrying a natural air of nobility that said, “You are inferior to me; me talking to you is doing you a favor, so be a good little brother.”

When Shi Shu first met him, he would wipe sweat from his back every day, thinking: Mr. Try-Hard.

You really are pretentious. If he posted a TikTok, tens of thousands of average confident men would probably break down in the comments calling him a “male green tea” or a “poser.”

But at that time, Shi Shu discovered that Xie Wuchi couldn’t control his lower body; he got hard easily when stimulated. It really made the situation quite complex. Perhaps it was from that moment on that he and Xie Wuchi became familiar.

Thinking of this, Shi Shu’s mood was neither good nor bad. After all, being held at gunpoint for the first time gave him a feeling that was very hard to describe! It was like a straight girl suddenly having a gorgeous beauty strip naked in front of her—on one hand, she thinks it’s pretty; on the other, it’s very awkward.

Shi Shu tried to recall the trajectory of being with Xie Wuchi. Living in Xiangnan Temple wasn’t good after all; the senior monk next door hated dogs and occasionally threatened to hit Laifu. Although he didn’t actually hit it, Shi Shu didn’t really like a temple full of gay men either.

Collecting the ordination certificates to gather military pay and going to Liushui Nunnery was nice. Shi Shu liked that desolate little courtyard in the peach blossom forest. A small path had been cut through the waist-high grass. The room next door was a haunted house where people had died. Shi Shu was very timid back then; he had to drag Xie Wuchi along even when going to the toilet at night.

Usually, Shi Shu would shake Xie Wuchi awake on the couch and say, “Brother Xie, Bro, I need to pee. Are you coming?”

Then, amidst a silence that made one want to kneel and call him Daddy, Xie Wuchi would stand up and accompany him to the outhouse outside. Shi Shu was scared just walking past the door of the haunted room, pretending to be calm and chatting with Xie Wuchi about other things on the surface. After all, he didn’t want to expose his cowardice, and Xie Wuchi had to reply sporadically to his forced topics.

“Xie Wuchi, the moon tonight sure is… moon-y!”

Xie Wuchi: “Mn.”

Then Shi Shu went to the outhouse. The outhouse was very close to the crooked-neck tree where someone had hanged themselves. Shi Shu needed Xie Wuchi to protect him every step of the way. Then, after finishing, he would wash his hands frantically and rush inside, running ahead of him.

Thinking of this, Shi Shu smiled inexplicably. Back then, he felt Xie Wuchi was like the older brother next door, the omnipotent god in a game, the boss in the next class who had great grades but was dead pretentious. Although everyone discussed after class, “Bro, you’re too pretentious!”, they actually admired him very much. Shi Shu was the same; he was very clingy, super clingy to him, out of a man’s instinct to be a sidekick to someone powerful.

Shi Shu was only eighteen. He liked being a sidekick. He was a sidekick to his parents when he was little, a sidekick to his cousin when he was older, and now a sidekick to Xie Wuchi. In short, a life of being a sidekick.

Shi Shu really liked Xie Wuchi. Every day at Liushui Nunnery, the moment he opened his eyes, it was: Where did Xie Wuchi go? Why hasn’t he come back from work yet? Where is he? Where is he? Hearing Laifu bark, the two of them would run into the peach blossom forest together, circling around Xie Wuchi who was bringing food back.

Xie Wuchi had to shout “Stop” to prevent the two “puppies” from pouncing on him.

Transmigrating to ancient times wasn’t easy. At Zhou Family Village, everyone treated him well, but that wretched gay man spoke very nastily. When men gathered to talk about children and wives, Shi Shu had nothing to talk about; it was happier to be with his own compatriot.

From that time on, Shi Shu really liked Xie Wuchi as a friend. He liked him very much, perhaps partly out of admiration for the strong. Shi Shu was willing to do anything with him and felt happy doing it, whether it was traveling far away, sleeping in the wind and dew, or going into a plague-ridden city. He was very, very happy. Xie Wuchi had a capability; he might not necessarily give you emotional reciprocity, and might even go the opposite way, but staying by his side absolutely gave the best chance of survival and the most security.

It was like being carried by a pro in a game. Playing PUBG, Shi Shu often felt like he only heard a crackling of gunfire in his ears. By the time he crawled out of the smoke coughing with difficulty, Xie Wuchi’s tall figure would be shielding him, gun in hand, alerting the surroundings: “Enemies are all dealt with.”

Shi Shu would have that feeling of… Bro, you’re unreal.

He wanted to kneel and kowtow to Xie Wuchi.

—Turning over gently, the bed made a soft click, interrupting part of Shi Shu’s thoughts. He didn’t know why he didn’t dare to think further; the more he thought, the closer he seemed to get to that bad ending. The winter in Dasheng Prefecture, Senzhou, was too cold. The ice and snow pierced the marrow. Recalling that place of extreme cold in his memory, Shi Shu’s mind was almost entirely filled with snow-white that blotted out the sky and sun, the howling wind in the forest, and vast patches of blood-red staining everything, occupying one’s entire vision.

He also liked Xie Wuchi and wanted to depend on him for life. Although Du Zihan was good, he wasn’t as good as Xie Wuchi. Having walked three thousand miles together, Shi Shu saw that he too had times when he got hurt. Knowing this secret brought Shi Shu’s heart closer to his.

And Xie Wuchi was a big villain, a really annoying bad guy. Detestable. Ever since then, he kept kissing and touching him. Shi Shu really had no choice. I mean, who asked Xie Wuchi to be sick? Bros hugging, what’s the big deal? It was just that Shi Shu hadn’t figured out how to face the affection that had turned into love. But following Xie Wuchi was still very happy. If that incident hadn’t happened, Shi Shu thought making do and spending a lifetime together would be okay, right?

Damn, what’s wrong with Xie Wuchi? What’s wrong with spending a lifetime with him?

Thinking of this, Shi Shu still couldn’t help but want to laugh.

In the year after leaving, Shi Shu felt like he was dreaming. He stayed on the beach in Qin Village, telling Zihan every day that he was watching the sunset, but actually, he was thinking of Xie Wuchi.

That bastard. Shi Shu really wanted to beat him up. If he had known, he would have beaten him up before leaving. Just a total scumbag. Shi Shu experienced what pure hate was for the first time, but his bloody appearance at the time was also terrifying, causing Shi Shu to often dream of it at midnight.

Shi Shu didn’t have much perception of love, as if this enlightenment had never been unlocked. He thought about it with complex emotions for a long time but still couldn’t figure it out.

Love… but he didn’t expect that when they met again, their statuses would be worlds apart.

…

As Shi Shu thought, his consciousness blurred and he fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, there was a vast expanse of blood-red corpses. He saw that mass grave again, dark mosquitoes circling above, corpses piled like mountains, wild dogs baring teeth and dragging bones, and a fierce fire suddenly engulfing them all—

Shi Shu woke up abruptly from the dream, covered in cold sweat, letting out a miserable scream of “Ah!”, inhaling nervously. Xie Wuchi walked to the head of the bed and took down his clothes. Someone outside the door said, “My Lord, two men named Yuan Guan and Yuan He are asking to see you!”

Shi Shu was stunned for a second. Xie Wuchi adjusted his cuffs, seemingly deep in thought. A moment later, he said, “Let them in.”

“Why have they come?”

“Xiao Shu’s proposal is not without merit. Historically, there was the Treaty of Maqiao, an alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasid Caliphate; Huo Qubing divided the Xiongnu, making the Xiongnu tribes surrender to the Han Dynasty; Yue Fei divided the Jin army generals; and the Song Dynasty’s ‘Alliance on the Sea,’ allying with Jin to resist Liao. The Alliance on the Sea alone took three years from proposal to full realization. A strategy with huge influence requires a long time and much effort to complete. This is indeed a profitable idea; I will find a way to facilitate it.”

Shi Shu looked at him.

Xie Wuchi: “Xiao Shu was sent back. The two of them are ready to present this plan to me in person. Coming? Let’s go together.”

On the ground, Yuan Guan, dressed in a simple scholar’s blue shirt, was prostrating on the floor, kneeling for a long time without rising.

Beside him was Yuan He, whose Min features were wrapped in cloth. In the hot weather, sweat soaked through the cotton cloth, making it wet and uncomfortable. Both were kneeling on the ground.

Xie Wuchi entered the door. Although his tone was decent, he didn’t move to help them up. He walked straight forward and sat on the pearwood armchair: “Two years ago on Beilainu Street, this official drank a bowl of plain tea in your home. Please rise.”

The two stood up. When they saw Shi Shu standing aside, Yuan Guan suddenly knelt down again: “Second Young Master.”

Shi Shu looked at him, thinking of the sickly man on Beilainu Street, and then the strategist offering poison schemes in Yunzhou. It was hard to connect the two. He said, “Please rise, please rise.”

Yuan Guan revealed a kindly smile. Shi Shu fell silent and turned his face to look at the wall.

“What business brings the two of you here specifically?”

Yuan Guan hurriedly took out a booklet from his bosom: “My Lord, this is a geographical topographical map of the Min rear area. This lowly one comes still for the matter proposed by my daughter a few days ago.”

“King Zhouchi currently presides over Yong’an Prefecture and Duoge Prefecture. The ones my subordinates can contact are precisely the Jing righteousness armies and tribal leaders within these two prefectures. King Zhouchi has always admired Jing culture—in Northern Min, the upper aristocracy takes pride in knowing Jing culture. Noble ladies send people to buy new jewelry and makeup styles the moment they appear in the Eastern Capital, and men vie to learn Jing culture. I spent two years with this King Zhouchi and often heard him sigh about the barbarism of the Min people. He advocates literature, loves bronzes and stone tablets, and has an inclination to naturalize to the Jing army.”

Xie Wuchi drank tea, glanced under the lid, and put it down.

Yuan Guan’s attitude was nothing but sincere as he continued: “In addition, many minor king tribes are repeatedly bullied by the Middle King and Min King’s armies, their lands occupied. Every year during the grazing season, the Min King’s tribe drives their cattle and sheep everywhere. They dare to be angry but dare not speak; public resentment is boiling. Especially after the war, the exploitation has become more severe.”

“Thirdly, Yong’an Prefecture was Jing territory twenty years ago. For so many years, Han righteousness armies have occupied the mountains, unable to be eliminated by the Min army. They call out to tens of thousands, forming a posture like the bandits of Liangshan Marsh. They fly the Jing national flag, call themselves the ‘Remnant Army,’ and have never been conquered.”

Yuan Guan stood and replied, forehead covered in sweat. After stating the situation, he continued, “My Lord, if we can unite these three forces to raise troops at a time and place agreed upon with Your Lordship, attacking from both inside and outside, we can strike the Min army’s vitals and quickly take the prefecture capitals. It would be a great merit for Your Lordship!”

The basic rule of persuasion: explain the interests, move them with benefits. Xie Wuchi didn’t answer this question directly: “Now that the war between Northern Min and Great Jing is critical, the Min army is strict in its governance, guarding against spies and moles. It must not be easy for you two to risk your lives to leave the stronghold?”

Sweat flowed down Yuan Guan’s pale face, and he knelt on the ground: “After my daughter returned, she said Your Lordship might suspect deceit. So, we brothers came with our lives to persuade you, only begging Your Lordship to accept this good strategy!”

Xie Wuchi seemed busy with official duties and somewhat absent-minded: “Official Yuan, the unworldly merit of dividing Northern Min and capturing cities… once achieved, you two will have great credit. Do you seek nothing?”

Yuan Guan: “We brothers only ask that after Your Lordship establishes this unworldly merit, you bestow upon us brothers a good house and fertile fields in the Eastern Capital, high nobility titles, and a large amount of gold and silver, so we are no longer known to the world as slaves.”

Xie Wuchi covered the tea bowl and said, “For these things, you had Min people throw corpses into Yunzhou City. Did the Min army not promise you high official positions and generous salaries?”

“…”

This sentence from Xie Wuchi was clearly a piercing interrogation poking at their backbone, yet it also carried a hint of ridicule.

Yuan Guan knew this was indeed a hurdle they couldn’t bypass, so he said honestly: “At that time, we brothers thought we could never return to Great Jing and wanted to make a living in Northern Min, so we used some poison schemes. This poison scheme was also instructed by Prince Yinkun… until that night, when my brother encountered the Second Young Master by chance.”

Hearing his name, Shi Shu leaned against the chair and looked up at him.

Yuan Guan smiled at Shi Shu, a very complicated smile, and said, “This lowly one never thought I would meet my benefactor again, and that Lord Xie would have already been guarding the border and ruling the world. Originally, I dared not climb high, fearing Your Lordship had long forgotten, and would despise this lowly one as a slave fleeing north. But my brother ran into the Second Young Master in the trench and was actually recognized by him. Only then did this lowly one muster the courage to let my daughter come to offer the strategy.”

Yuan Guan’s family was obviously gambling with their lives: “If not for the Second Young Master’s kindness, this lowly one would never dare to offer this plan to the Jing people. I’m afraid the moment you saw my brother’s face, we would have been killed.”

“So you also know that Jing and Min people are incompatible.”

Xie Wuchi stood up, stepping on the patterned floor tiles, his expression somewhat stern: “Whether Official Yuan’s plan is feasible, this official will set aside for now. But to demand my younger brother right off the bat, to go to a dangerous place in the Min region… it is truly hard to gain trust.”

“This lowly one understands. This lowly one… this lowly one’s family of three only seeks to survive. This lowly one really… finds it hard to trust anyone other than the Second Young Master…” Yuan Guan argued, “This lowly one has a comprehensive method to ensure the Second Young Master enters the Min region safely, disguised as my small servant. He can change his appearance and clothes to return to Min with us, live in my humble home, and I will be responsible for social maneuvering. We only need the Second Young Master to show his face on the agreed day to reassure everyone’s hearts. After that, we can escort the Second Young Master back!”

Shi Shu didn’t need to deal with that group of people; he was a token of sincerity.

Sincerity meant just showing his face.

Now, the danger to him had dropped very low.

However, Xie Wuchi said nothing but: “You two go rest first. This official will consider it.”

Inside the room, the two sat down. Yuan Guan pulled off the headscarf wrapping Yuan He’s face. A determined face, pale from being soaked in sweat, was revealed. He wiped the sweat away.

The two sat drinking a few mouthfuls of cold water. Yuan He couldn’t hold back the humiliation on his face any longer: “I think we shouldn’t have made this trip. The Jing people treat us like dogs; there was no need to come. This Commander Xie is the same.”

Yuan Guan was more peaceful: “We have nothing, yet we want to gain trust. It is inherently difficult. Just keep a calm mind.”

“I’ve really had enough,” Yuan He said gruffly, drinking the water in his cup in one gulp.

Yuan Guan untied his back, revealing numerous crisscrossing scars that smelled foul from the sweat. Yuan Guan sat down again: “Still such a violent temper. How old are we?”

“I’m forty-three, you’re forty.”

“Forty, huh. When do you think we can have a piece of land? I also want to retire to the fields.”

“Retire to the fields? Farming in the Qin’an Mountains of Yuan County? Yet you insisted on coming out, unable to let go of those books you wrote, talking about literary canons and script books, insisting on sending them to Great Jing for printing.”

Yuan Guan chuckled: “You never read.”

“Whether I read or not, I’m forty in this life.”

“What is forty? I don’t fear death; I only want to leave a name for eternity.”

To leave a name for eternity. The position of fame and profit was arguably equal. No scholar didn’t want to leave a name for eternity, recorded in history books. Yuan Guan took out a bundle from beside him. It turned out to be scrolls of paper densely filled with black ink on white, some already curled and decaying at the edges, showing the depth of hardship: “If Lord Xie still doesn’t believe me, I have no choice but to offer this book. Written with my life’s blood. If I break the promise, let him burn my million-word manuscript to ashes.”

“Those papers of yours? Can just these ephemeral papers persuade him?”

“If these papers are useless, then I truly have nothing left.” Yuan Guan smiled bleakly.

Inside another door not far away, Shi Shu sat in a chair.

Maps were laid out on the table, thick stacks of them, a more detailed route map. Xie Wuchi sat beside him, flipping through the map page by page, comparing it with another map scouted by spies.

“Mountains, villages, bridges, strongholds, clearly marked,” Xie Wuchi said. “The map is even more complete.”

Shi Shu identified the special characters with representative meanings. Xie Wuchi marked the positions of the defense lines: “The places above are heavily guarded and have a heavier military nature. After crossing the defense line, it is the residence of civilians. Back then, the Yinkun brothers could travel in Great Jing because behind the Min area is also a place where Min and Jing people live mixed together. Disguising as ordinary people among the Han will not attract attention.”

“The most dangerous part is the defense line area. Once crossed, it will be easier.”

Shi Shu stared at the patterns of rivers and mountains, feeling a burst of nervousness in his heart: “I…”

“Shi Shu, don’t rush.”

Shi Shu looked at the map before him. When the matter only had a rough outline, he seemed to have feelings about it. But with the steps listed one by one before his eyes, he realized every step was difficult.

“I was thinking, perhaps I shouldn’t control you. It might be better to let you choose freely,” Xie Wuchi suddenly said.

Shi Shu stood up, his legs a bit weak. He went out the door with Xie Wuchi. The Chinese roses in the courtyard were blooming beautifully, their fragrance assaulting the nose. Shi Shu reached out, picked another flower, and placed it in Xie Wuchi’s arms.

Shi Shu asked, “Are you willing to let me go?”

Xie Wuchi: “I will be very worried about you. Even someone with exceptional courage won’t sleep well entering enemy territory. If you can’t sleep then, I won’t be able to sleep either.”

Shi Shu: “Not sleeping is fine too. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, always recalling past events. I found it was quite happy.”

“What did you recall?”

“Recalled from when we first met until now,” Shi Shu suddenly thought, “Xie Wuchi, actually there is something I did wrong to you that I haven’t told you.”

If one day in the future, Xie Wuchi became the master of the world, even if he didn’t meet the condition of killing other time travelers, he would unlock the system. At that time, he would definitely see Shi Shu’s unlocking time and understand what he had done.

“Doing something wrong doesn’t matter.” Xie Wuchi turned his head to meet his eyes. “I just want to know, is it still wrong now?”

“…”

Heatwaves brushed over the courtyard eaves and tiles. Layers of lotus leaves in the pond surged with waves, and kingfishers flew past occasionally.

Shi Shu’s heart was in turmoil, his back tingling, not knowing what to say. His brown eyes opened slightly, feeling only the silence of the world.

Xie Wuchi looked at him for a long while, then turned his gaze away, saying calmly: “Before you correct this mistake, Shi Shu, I will keep you alive. Even at the gates of hell, I will snatch you back.”

Late at night, the courtyard was brightly lit.

Dim light shone from behind the windows of the study. The sound of conversation occasionally drifted out from the door. Xin Bin and other guards walked out of the door one after another, holding maps, riding horses into the distance late at night.

The discussion between Xie Wuchi and Yuan Guan and Yuan He continued.

Xie Wuchi was questioning every detail of the journey to verify the truth of their words. Yuan Guan and Yuan He ultimately didn’t have his boundless energy. When mentally exhausted, people can hardly think, and their words have more loopholes, but they still had to cope with Xie Wuchi’s interrogation.

Shi Shu was rummaging through chests and cupboards, looking for clothes to bring. Unexpectedly, with a crisp clatter, something fell to the ground. It turned out to be that gem-encrusted dagger.

Short and fierce, suitable for carrying. Seeing this dagger, the feeling of it pressing against his flesh a few days ago flashed through Shi Shu’s mind, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He immediately went back to searching for light clothes. He couldn’t find a comfortable pair of underpants. Just as Shi Shu was searching, the door creaked open and Xie Wuchi walked in.

Shi Shu stopped packing clothes.

Xie Wuchi had just come out of the interrogation, his mind still sharp. “The Min army has been out of food for seven days; the time is about right. Tomorrow I will beat the drums to let the army exit the Yunzhou city gates and attack together with the reinforcements inserting from the side to crush the Northern Min army.”

“The defeated army will flee, abandoning armor and weapons. The attention of the Min army’s main general will be drawn, and you will also take advantage of the chaos to cross the border. I have already arranged people there. They will cross the border tonight and arrive ahead of time to wait for you.”

“Don’t go with Yuan Guan and Yuan He. Meet at the foot of Mount Meng after crossing the border defense. Once there, if you feel uncomfortable, come back immediately.”

“This trip will take at most a month. You go see them once; leave the specific details of the agreed combat to us to handle.”

Shi Shu listened to his orderly arrangements, gripping the bundle in his hand. Xie Wuchi looked through the clothes inside, opened another compartment of the cabinet, took out a stack of rolled-up underpants, and put them in the bag—it was exactly the pair Shi Shu couldn’t find.

As for the dagger, Xie Wuchi found a leather strap and leaned in to lift Shi Shu’s clothes: “Tie it here.”

The leather strap was tied to the thigh. Xie Wuchi demonstrated it to Shi Shu several times.

“This knife can be turned against anyone.”

Shi Shu spoke up: “Xie Wuchi.”

“When you come back, tell me clearly what the thing you did wrong to me is,” Xie Wuchi said. “I want to know.”

Shi Shu: “I…”

Xie Wuchi: “The way you are hemming and hawing now makes me suspect that during the year and a half you left me, did you sleep with someone else?”

Shi Shu: “No.”

Shi Shu’s hair, which easily stood on end, was smoothed down. Like a child going on a long journey, having his bag and water flask packed by family, and his red scarf tidied. Xie Wuchi looked at him unblinkingly for a moment.

Shi Shu suddenly remembered something important: “Xie Wuchi, this is your third birthday.”

“Yes.”

Shi Shu: “If I leave, I can’t celebrate it with you, can I?”

“Not important. Compensate me when you get back.”

Shi Shu was about to speak when he felt a tightness on his leg, which was uncomfortable. It was that short knife. Shi Shu took the knife off and put it on the table. This knife was well-crafted, but the timing of its appearance just made Shi Shu unhappy.

Shi Shu stared at the knife, feeling a wave of anxiety he couldn’t put into words. Shi Shu had to nod to Xie Wuchi: “I will definitely come back.”

On the tower of Yunzhou City, heavy war drums beat, shaking dust off the drum skins.

The sound of horns resonated through the clouds.

Below the Yunzhou tower, tens of yards high, several armies were intertwined like surging dark clouds before a storm, fighting left and right, devouring, and scattering. The Min army couldn’t hold on; the battle had reached the moment to harvest victory.

The Jing army exited the city to challenge, and flank reinforcements attacked. Fast horses rushed to break the enemy army, disrupting their formation.

On the undulating parapets, flags marked “Xie” flapped violently in the wind. At the highest point of the battlements, Xie Wuchi stood with Feng Zhongshan and many other generals at the head of the Yunzhou tower, watching the Min army fleeing in panic, abandoning helmets and armor, scattering like clouds swept by the wind.

“My Lord! The East Route Army presents victory!”

“The West Route Army presents victory!”

“The veteran generals defending the city present victory!”

“…”

Voice after voice. The main force of the enemy was fleeing, and the pursuit of the victorious army continued, continuously breaking the already chaotic opposing ranks.

Apart from the heroic shouts of killing below Yunzhou City, on a small path in the dense forest outside the city, Shi Shu carried his bundle, walking on the lush mountain road. A goshawk’s cry cut through overhead. Shi Shu raised his head, his brown eyes and fair, handsome face looking at this great mountain and river separating the two ethnic groups.

“Second Young Master, past this mountain is the border line. The border defense is strict; we lowly ones can escort you no further. Please proceed alone, Second Young Master.” The guard’s voice reminded Shi Shu.

Shi Shu responded, sweat flowing down his fair jaw, his vision regaining focus: “I understand.”

He had walked onto this road after all. Going alone to the Min area to probe the truth of intelligence and contact the forces behind enemy lines, to reduce casualties, to communicate and express friendliness… but the future was uncertain, the path unclear. Looking at the starlight in the distance, the road walked was full of fog, footsteps stumbling, the situation treacherous.

Shi Shu’s Adam’s apple rolled. Stepping on the ground felt like stepping on cotton.

“Hyah!” Suddenly, several fast horses galloped wildly towards him like lightning. Shi Shu and the pedestrians turned their eyes. Tall horses were running dangerously towards them on the narrow mountain path.

Shi Shu: “Xie Wuchi, why did you come?”

Xie Wuchi dismounted: “I was worried, so I’m sending you off for a stretch.”

A ripple went through Shi Shu’s heart: “I can come back.”

But Xie Wuchi seemed to show signs of regret; his face didn’t look good. At the border checkpoint, if it were a group of three or five strong men, they would definitely be stopped and questioned about their origins. If it was a single man, the possibility of suspicion by Min army patrols would be much lower, after all, there were commoners conducting daily life at the border too.

Shi Shu needed to walk a very long section of the defense line alone.

The small path was lush and green. Shi Shu stepped on wild grass, the stream beside him gurgling. Shi Shu said again: “I will be careful.”

Crossing through the dense forest, the view suddenly opened up. Sure enough, thanks to the routed Northern Min army running around like headless chickens or looting roads somewhere, and Min soldiers going to support, there were much fewer soldiers patrolling the watchtowers. The route was more deserted, with only a few scattered Great Min commoners walking past occasionally.

Shi Shu looked around, palms sweating, ready to step onto the official road opposite. Xie Wuchi raised his hand and shed his luxurious outer robe; underneath was the clothing of an ordinary commoner. He said, “I’ll walk you a bit further.”

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