UCTOOT CH111

Thinking of seeing Xie Wuchi, Shi Shu hurried over.

On the road, many Min people held god-bells, their expressions solemn, chanting scriptures in anticipation of the God’s Birthday. Ordinary commoners continued to sell things as usual, but a group of people dressed in expensive furs had fierce faces, hurrying on their way.

As Shi Shu walked past, he was bumped by a young tribal prince, who said unreasonably, “Get out of the way!”

Shi Shu: “? I didn’t provoke you.”

Shi Shu didn’t know what to do. Seeing that these people were travel-worn, their armor in disarray, a defeated army with an air of misfortune, he was cursed at from just a few steps away. Shi Shu stepped back. A guard said, “I’m afraid it’s that group who lost the battle at Yunzhou, all back now.”

“A defeated army? No wonder their faces are so sour.”

Shi Shu took a few more glances. This group had a clear goal, all heading towards King Zhouchi’s mansion. Needless to say, they were going to report for duty.

Shi Shu looked around, observing the state of this defeated army. His back was lightly patted.

Turning around, under the brilliant city tower, a tall, moon-white figure blocked some of the sunlight for him. The broad chest he leaned against—who else could it be but the Xie-gege he had been longing for?

Shi Shu’s heart leaped. He wanted to call out. Xie Wuchi said, “Come over. Have you had breakfast?”

Shi Shu: “No, I was waiting for you to come back—”

Xie Wuchi: “Outside, I have another identity. Come, meet someone with me.”

Shi Shu entered the teahouse with him. Behind a door, Yuan Guan sat, with a middle-aged Taoist dressed as a martial artist beside him. Shi Shu gave a rough look around. The Taoist’s face was excited upon seeing him. As soon as the door closed, he knelt down abruptly. “Wanglong Mountain, Han Tian, greets the Second Young Master!”

Shi Shu was startled: “Please, please get up.”

Xie Wuchi reminded him: “The Taoist Tianwei of Wanglong Mountain, mentioned before.”

Shi Shu looked at him carefully: “You don’t look much like a Taoist. Your attire is more like a martial artist’s.”

Han Tian laughed heartily: “This lowly one’s parents died young. I was adopted by an old Taoist who gave me food and taught me to read and write. Who knew that Great Jing would later be defeated in war, ceding Yong’an Prefecture to the Min people, who burned down the Taoist temple and erected a shrine to the Great God Rahu. I carried the old Taoist on my back, begging for food everywhere, originally wanting to take him south to make a living. But who knew, just steps from the border, he died. What’s the point of me going to another place alone? So I went back to the Taoist temple and killed some people, then became a bandit in the mountains, giving myself a title and gathering the commoners of Great Jing. It’s been over ten years; there are hundreds of households on the mountain.”

Shi Shu felt regret in his heart: “So that’s how it is. No one is without grievance; all feelings lead to karma.”

Han Tian said: “If this lowly one didn’t borrow this Taoist title, calling myself Taoist Master, how would the commoners feel at ease coming to me?”

After all, trust between people might be lacking, but it’s different for a messenger of the gods.

“Second Young Master, please sit down.”

Shi Shu looked around. This arrangement clearly made Shi Shu’s status the highest. He glanced at Xie Wuchi, wanting to know what was going on. Xie Wuchi said: “Just introduced, this is Commander Xie’s own younger brother. Yuan Guan is now a guest advisor in King Zhouchi’s mansion. Someone is a relative from the Xie family’s same village.”

Little uncle?

Shi Shu secretly despaired. Xie Wuchi, you’re always so casual with your disguises. But it was understandable. After all, the commander-in-chief personally coming to enemy territory was too suspicious. It was better for him to hide his identity.

Han Tian asked: “May I ask how to address you?”

Xie Wuchi was concise: “Xie Xun.”

Clang— Shi Shu had just picked up his teacup and was about to take a sip. Hearing this name, his hand paused. He had known Xie Wuchi’s real name through the system long ago, but hearing it from his own mouth felt surprisingly different.

For a moment, Shi Shu’s mind was in turmoil, wondering whether to ask about the meaning of the name, and also wanting to know about the state of Xie Wuchi’s leg injury. As his thoughts churned, there was movement outside the door.

Yuan Guan looked up. Everyone quieted down, seeming to have been prepared. They heard heavy footsteps reaching the floor next door.

So the building they chose wasn’t ordinary? Was there a reason?

Shi Shu pricked up his ears. Complaints came from the next room.

“Fight, what fight? It was agreed at the beginning, we push to Great Jing’s Eastern Capital, we get enfeoffed as kings, get ceded territory, that’s why we went along. Who knew we’d fucking lose!”

“Now the people are dead, the horses are dead.”

“When I took the children away from the grassland, what promises did I make to their parents and brothers? I’d surely bring them home well, in carriages woven from battle merits and gold, take them away, send them back… In the end, all dead—”

“So many people died. God’s Birthday festival, how can we celebrate this festival…”

Yong’an was close to Great Jing. The people here were the most sinicized, mostly speaking the Jing language.

Great Min was a confederation of many tribes. Obviously, these small tribes went on expedition together but were utterly defeated.

Shi Shu listened intently. Under the table, his hand was gently held by Xie Wuchi.

Shi Shu looked back at him, thinking: Is this hand-holding a form of comfort for making me sleep alone last night?

Xie Wuchi… how did you spend last night alone? The first separation after our feelings were mutual. Separating is normal, but those few days together were really overly intimate.

Shi Shu raised an eyebrow, wanting to think, but his attention was focused on the next room. He squeezed his hand back and focused on eavesdropping.

“On the road just now, I met Mum. She asked me where the children went, if they lost the battle and had no face to come back. Mum said, it doesn’t matter if we lost the battle, we must come back home. If you can’t make it in the army, go back to the grassland. The grassland will feed everyone equally.”

All mothers in the world are like this.

Bang! Someone slammed a fist on the table:

“But there’s still so much dirty business!”

“Our people left the grassland with curved blades and bows, heading south to find a way to survive, to compete for that land full of milk and gold. But after we left! Someone took advantage of the young men being gone to plunder our land, to bully our parents and wives!”

“I heard about it too. The Chahar tribe in the west and the Ge Lun tribe in the north are starting wars. Someone is coming to snatch our grassland.”

“…”

Taking advantage of others’ misfortune has been a thing since ancient times.

This group of Min people went south, but there were so many backstabs behind them.

“How can we celebrate this festival? Can’t go on. If King Zhouchi can’t give us some comforting policy, I think we can’t survive on the grassland either. Might as well defect to the Jing people.”

“Hey, don’t say that. His Majesty will surely not abandon us.”

“Drink, drink!”

“…”

This group of small tribal people drank heavily in sorrow.

Shi Shu ate his breakfast, his mood also very complex. Xie Wuchi said: “It has always been like this. The reason for the division of grassland nations—winning a war can continuously strengthen the ‘us versus them’ contradiction, while failure will inevitably lead to internal contradictions.”

Xie Wuchi drank the tea in one gulp, his gaze turning to Yuan Guan: “Next, it’s time to find King Zhouchi.”

The weather grew hot, sunlight peeking through the window.

Shi Shu drank the last sip of tea. At the other end of the table, Xie Wuchi stood up: “Little Uncle, you’re going too?”

“I’m preparing to disguise myself as Yuan Guan’s literary friend and go to the God’s Birthday Temple to see King Zhouchi. What about it?”

Shi Shu: “What about me?”

“The inn I stayed at last night—go to that room and wait for me to come back.”

Shi Shu understood that these few people were about to lay out their plan. As the saying goes, “a sharp tongue is better than a thousand soldiers.” The power of debate could occasionally surpass tens of thousands of troops. Shi Shu opened his mouth: “What do I do…”

Xie Wuchi understood: “I’ll walk you back to the inn.”

Walking side by side on the bustling street, Shi Shu’s eyelid kept twitching: “You just said your name is Xie Xun?”

“What about it?”

Before them was a wooden building, a cool inn, sheltered in the shade of several pagoda trees. Shi Shu stared at the small white and green caterpillars on the pagoda trees: “Xie Xun, I’ve heard this name.” How to bring up the system?

“Oh?”

Pushing the door open, entering the room, closing it again.

Shi Shu asked: “Why that name?”

Xie Wuchi: “Real name.”

“…”

Shi Shu realized that although he knew about the system, Xie Wuchi had been using an alias all along, seemingly without any psychological burden.

Shi Shu: “Real name, huh…”

Xie Wuchi: “I don’t like people knowing too much real information about me. One, it’s not safe. Two, it’s unnecessary. Also, this name feels like a shackle to me.”

Shi Shu didn’t know what to say, feeling like Xie Wuchi owed ten dollars while he owed a thousand.

Shi Shu was absent-minded. Recalling the wound on Xie Wuchi’s leg, he leaned in to check. Above his head, the latter half of the sentence was spoken: “But recently, being in the countryside with you, I suddenly feel that maybe this shackle isn’t so terrible.”

“…” Shi Shu’s hand paused. “You also like the life in the courtyard at the foot of the mountain?”

Xie Wuchi tugged his robe, revealing the wound on his leg, and lowered his eyes: “Reading when idle, sharing a bed with you at night. You’ve been comforting me.”

Shi Shu’s personality was originally quite like a rash young man. He clearly knew nothing, but these past few days, being intimate with Xie Wuchi, a single look could tell him something was wrong. He’d say “Let me tell you a joke,” or “The fish in the river have washed ashore, let’s go see?”

“You like me being good to you? Pampering you, coaxing you, making you happy. You’re clearly so powerful, yet you also like sweet words and the pastoral life,” Shi Shu said.

Xie Wuchi sat still, letting Shi Shu check the injury: “Who wouldn’t like it?”

Shi Shu applied ointment to his calf, which was slightly red and swollen, still inflamed.

An icy coldness spread through Shi Shu’s heart, his scalp tingling. For some reason, he always felt a great disaster was about to come.

If he told Xie Wuchi about the system, laying out the whole truth, what would happen in the end? For Xie Wuchi, achieving “lordship over the world” was only a matter of time. At that point, he would only need to kill him and the other transmigrators to return to the modern world in glory.

What choice would Xie Wuchi make?

And himself? At least back then, Shi Shu chose to go home.

Xie Wuchi was so smart. As soon as he knew about this system, everything Shi Shu had ever done would be as conspicuous as black characters on white paper, with nowhere to hide.

As Shi Shu pondered, from outside the door came Xin Bin’s voice.

“My Lord, a letter has come from the palace.”

Shi Shu looked up. Xie Wuchi stood up from the couch, his appearance restored to strict order, brows carrying contemplation, taking the letter and breaking the wax seal.

Shi Shu watched his face carefully. Xie Wuchi’s joy and anger were not visible on his face, no great change in his brow and eyes. However, he sneered at the letter.

Shi Shu sensed something was wrong: “What is it?”

“When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. Having taken Yunzhou, it’s time for the Son of Heaven to exert checks and balances. Even if he trusts me again, he can’t sit back and watch the Xie family army grow powerful on the border. He’s changing the supervising official.”

Shi Shu understood at once: “So the emperor suspects you?”

“It was a matter of time, but the letters sent not long ago were full of support, allowing me to consolidate the border. Such a fast change in attitude must have been pushed by someone.”

The crisis was obviously greater than before. Xie Wuchi’s expression was calm: “Let’s go. Handle things one by one.”

Seeing Xie Wuchi leave with Yuan Guan, Taoist Han Tian, and others, Shi Shu knew that for the next few days, King Zhouchi would be fasting at the God’s Birthday Temple. They would use this excuse to get close to his ear, probe for some secrets, and whisper some words.

But for safety’s sake, it was inconvenient for Shi Shu to act with Xie Wuchi for the time being, to avoid being caught together.

Shi Shu watched them all leave, hesitated for a long time, then went downstairs to wander the market, covering his face, looking at various precious treasures.

Shi Shu hadn’t forgotten the mission of this trip. Observing along the way, eavesdropping everywhere: many tribes joined the expedition, nothing more than to get more land to raise livestock. In the end, they tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice used to lure it—their own children all died.

Back then in Yunzhou, the children of those parents in Yunzhou also all died.

Shi Shu walked this road, but still didn’t know what to choose for a gift. Xin Bin followed behind him: “Second Young Master, what are you looking for?”

Shi Shu: “Looking for a birthday gift.”

He looked at precious swords and said “not good,” then at gems, ivory, tiger teeth, a pagoda made of pure gold—all not good. A peace talisman was not good, a top-grade fortune slip was not good either: “Not good, not good, all not good. What gift would Xie Wuchi like?”

Shi Shu walked around and around. Unexpectedly, before him was a woven mat where a shaman-like sage sat, reciting stories as if chanting.

Shi Shu’s steps paused, listening in.

“The ‘Golden Blood’ has been diluted. Today’s Min people in the various prefectures, although they have deep-set features and still have the courage and grace of the wind, their hot blood has long been melted away by the Jing people’s ballads and tender feelings.”

“They brought books and writing, brought seeds, exquisite cooking methods, gorgeous clothes and decorations, making people eat better…”

In the crowd, Shi Shu suddenly saw a familiar figure.

“Hahahahahaha! Ridiculous!” Yinkun sat in the crowd, holding a horsewhip and drinking milk wine, laughing heartily, looking at the sage with sinister eyes.

“For example, this one,” the sage said. “His face doesn’t even resemble ours anymore.”

Yinkun: “Oh, face doesn’t resemble, so what? Some are born with Min faces, but their hearts have long been tamed like sheep.”

The sage smiled: “It seems that letting the crowds mix and letting time melt away hatred didn’t work on you.”

“Hmph? Melt away? My mother consort happened to be in the years of greatest hatred for the Jing people. She was tortured to death by other noble consorts. But I think she was too weak, completely unable to resist, covered in wounds, yet still teaching me ‘obey your father,’ ‘show yourself more in front of your father, let him not hurt you, trust you, so you can strive for a future,’ ‘you are no worse than your other brothers.’ I always believed her words. Before she died, she wanted to hug me and I pushed her away, saying I was right. She was covered in her own filthy blood. Why was it right to hate them before, but wrong to hate them now?” Yinkun stood up, carrying the wine pot. “Truly born at the wrong time.”

The sage: “When a river flows east, even the biggest gravel cannot stop its course. It washes away many obstacles along the way. Haven’t you heard, heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. To follow the river is to obey the mandate of heaven.”

“Get lost, get lost!” Yinkun smashed his cup on the ground with a crash, staggering away drunk. “If I’m to be crushed against the current, then I’ll be crushed against the current.”

Yinkun was obviously drunk, bumping through the crowd, rushing away wildly.

Seeing him gone, Shi Shu stopped for a while in front of the sage’s tent.

The sage started telling another story, all about hatred melting in love.

Like a prophet, also like a prophecy. His stance was unclear.

Shi Shu tossed a dagger in his hand and said, “Let’s go.”

Shi Shu bought some biscuits and pastries he had never seen before. By evening, he was really tired and rested against the head of the bed for a while.

A creak from the door. Shi Shu opened his eyes abruptly. The sky was already dark, dim light filtering through the window lattice.

Shi Shu straightened up and saw a simple scholar’s attire at the door. Xie Wuchi leaned against the door, his features indistinct, speaking with Taoist Han Tian: “That grassland on the west line of Dongping Ridge, is it King Zhouchi’s land?”

Han Tian said: “Yes, that pasture is the most fertile. Many cattle and sheep graze there and grow the strongest.”

Xie Wuchi leaned against the door, the night under his eyes: “Tonight, take some men, disguise as King Wushan’s cavalry, and go set a fire.”

The two said something more. A moment later, creak, the person went down the stairs.

Shi Shu jumped off the bed abruptly: “You’re back?”

Xie Wuchi approached, taking off his clothes: “Today’s business is finished. What about you? Xin Bin said you went wandering the market this afternoon.”

Shi Shu: “I wandered around. That’s normal, right—when is it my turn to appear?”

Xie Wuchi: “When King Zhouchi agrees to submit, it will be your turn to appear.”

Shi Shu: “So that’s it. You’re helping Yuan Guan now, running errands?”

“Of course, to make things more secure.”

From morning until now, Shi Shu was finally alone with him, not knowing what to say. He took out the pastries: “I bought these, for you to taste.”

Xie Wuchi asked: “Going back?”

Shi Shu paused: “What?”

“Go back to the courtyard. Maybe changing the name is better—our temporary home,” Xie Wuchi said.

Shi Shu was stunned for a second, then scrambled up: “Let’s go. Can’t abandon the shabby house.”

Shi Shu carried a bag of food and a few gems he bought, heading back to the mountains with Xie Wuchi. A very strange experience.

Shi Shu stepped on stone slabs. The city was very lively at this time. Due to the God’s Birthday, colorful ribbons hung everywhere. Shi Shu walked in this city, recalling the conversation between Xie Wuchi and Han Tian in his mind—sowing discord, spreading news everywhere in the city. The city before him, temporarily bathed in the atmosphere of festival and post-defeat emotion, the common people were completely unaware of the undercurrents.

And Xie Wuchi was once again stirring the situation.

Shi Shu seemed to see the clustered flowers under the altar. Amidst the curling smoke, everyone was appreciating precious plants. King Zhouchi slowly guided the crowd, while Xie Wuchi, disguised as an accompanying guest, with a few words, lured with benefits, turning the compass of people’s hearts from one end to the other.

Like a watery night, Shi Shu and Xie Wuchi walked back to the courtyard, hearing the gurgling sound of the stream.

Passing through a bamboo forest, not far away, someone was celebrating the God’s Birthday, setting off fireworks in the courtyard.

Bang bang bang! A few clusters flew to the blue sky zenith, multicolored, illuminating faces.

Shi Shu and Xie Wuchi stood in the bamboo forest, the moonlight clear and lonely.

The food Shi Shu bought was a pastry exclusive to the God’s Birthday festival. It was said to be made by chopping up local specialty tree leaves and boiling with the juice, having a faint fishy smell but able to repel mosquitoes.

Shi Shu and Xie Wuchi watched the fireworks and turned around: “Xie Wuchi.”

“What?”

Shi Shu asked: “Your real name is Xie Xun.”

Xie Wuchi: “I didn’t tell you at the time. Besides, I lack recognition for this name myself.”

Shi Shu: “I knew long ago.”

A couple of steps away, Xie Wuchi stood in the bamboo forest, his black eyes like stone, staring at him unblinkingly.

“I said before, I wanted to tell you a secret. Now that I think about it, it’s better to tell you as soon as possible.”

Shi Shu felt that with every word he said, his back grew cold, his calves weak: “You probably don’t know, during the time I left you, I awakened a system. Weren’t you always wondering? Why so many modern people transmigrated. There’s you, me, Zihan… and other transmigrators.”

Xie Wuchi looked at him. He had just been disguised at the God’s Birthday Temple. A string of Buddhist beads was on his wrist, a serene and clean expression under his eyes: “Oh, so there really is a system.”

Shi Shu: “There is. The condition is to kill one transmigrator.”

Xie Wuchi: “Have you killed other transmigrators?”

“When I was traveling the country with Du Zihan, I accidentally met a modern person who was injured by a tiger. He asked me to feed him medicine, but what I fed was arsenic.”

Xie Wuchi watched Shi Shu: “You look very nervous.”

Shi Shu: “Yes, because the system mentioned the method to return to the modern world.”

Xie Wuchi responded. The guards followed not far away, none came close.

Xie Wuchi, with an unreadable expression, walked back and took Shi Shu’s hand: “Going home. Does it have anything to do with me?”

Shi Shu nodded, still wanting to speak.

Xie Wuchi was watching the fireworks not far away, his pupils reflecting the lights: “The liveliness of the Ten-Day God’s Birthday is no less than the Red Thread Festival in Shaoxing. We could have wandered the market at night. It’s said there’s a ghost market, a lantern market, and a snack street. Selling cattle and sheep, praying to and parading gods—very lively. No less than sitting on a boat drinking on the Laoshui River that time.”

Shi Shu was puzzled, not understanding why Xie Wuchi suddenly brought this up.

Xie Wuchi said: “When setting off river lanterns, you made a wish, only wanting to go home. I also helped you make the same wish, hoping you could go home. At that time, I felt you were a complete child.”

Shi Shu’s brown eyes looked at him, breathing gently.

Xie Wuchi: “Speak. What is the condition? I thought you came back to find me, had sex with me, touched me, agreed to be with me without figuring it out, all to make me consider your feelings as much as possible, to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming emperor in a milder way. Turns out, you wanted to go home.”

Xie Wuchi’s trailing tone was not heavy.

A knot formed in Shi Shu’s throat; words seemed unable to come out.

Xie Wuchi: “What’s wrong? Is it that you can only go home by becoming emperor? So, you want to rely on me to reach that position?”

Shi Shu’s voice was stuck, a bit hoarse. Xie Wuchi was so smart; maybe he could guess the condition without him saying it.

But Shi Shu wanted to tell him this condition personally. Covered in cold sweat, he said: “…It’s to become emperor, and then kill all the other transmigrators.”

He finished speaking.

Silence in the bamboo forest, with the occasional sound of dripping water.

Shi Shu’s heart beat fast, a suffocating feeling in his throat.

Xie Wuchi heard clearly, repeating word for word: “Become emperor, and then kill all the other transmigrators, including me.”

Shi Shu listened, his heart feeling like it was being cut by a knife: “I…”

Xie Wuchi seemed to breathe lightly, turned around, stepped on the stone slabs, and walked forward under the moonlight.

The moonlight shone on his back, his clothes close to cyan, like the first time they met at Zhou Family Village, Xie Wuchi walking alone in the wilderness. But this time, his back seemed a bit more hurried.

Shi Shu stumbled after him: “Xie Wuchi…”

“I…”

Best friend, from the moment I came to this world, best lover.

Then, just as Shi Shu reached out, his wrist was suddenly seized. Xie Wuchi said: “I’m thinking, was I too gentle with you?”

A jolt of numbness went down Shi Shu’s back. He knew Xie Wuchi would be angry, but so far, he had never seen Xie Wuchi truly lose his temper with him.

“I’m good to you,” Xie Wuchi said, “so in your eyes, I only have the value of being squeezed dry and then dying.”

Shi Shu stopped in his tracks, his mind seemingly exploding, as if struck by lightning.

Shi Shu’s neck was gripped, a heavy force, very heavy. The calluses on Xie Wuchi’s fingertips abused the fair skin.

“These and them, what’s the difference to me?”

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