Chapter 38: An Unforeseen Change
In the desert, the days were long and the nights were short, and the nights were bone-chillingly cold. But sitting around a bonfire, eating hot mutton and drinking fiery wine, it didn’t feel cold at all.
The welcome banquet was set up on the open sand. Everyone sat on the ground, roasting meat under the open sky. The aroma was enticing, and when the wind blew, the thick smoke made some people’s eyes water. The people of Langxuan and Shahan sat together, without any distinction between them. Fresh meat was placed on the only table for everyone to take as they pleased. After getting their meat, they gathered in groups around their respective bonfires, roasting meat and chatting, their laughter endless.
Rong Feijun never brought servants with him on military campaigns, so at this moment, he also took a plate of raw meat from the table, preparing to roast it himself.
Wulanbaer snatched the plate from his hand and replaced it with one filled with all sorts of meat.
“The birthday boy doesn’t have to work.”
Rong Feijun was about to say something, but Wulanbaer immediately cut him off. “Your Majesty, there’s no need to refuse. There’s a technique to roasting meat. Someone like you, who has never roasted meat before, wouldn’t be able to make it taste good. It would be a waste of this delicious food. But I do this almost every day. I’m fast, and it tastes good. It’s a small effort.”
Holding the plate, Rong Feijun listened to Wulanbaer ramble on, thinking, I wasn’t planning on refusing. I just wanted to say thank you.
After all, I really don’t know how to roast it. I don’t even know where to put it.
After eating a few pieces of mutton and chicken, Rong Feijun noticed that Wulanbaer, who was beside him, had been constantly moving the meat on the grill and watching the fire, but hadn’t eaten anything himself. “Aren’t you going to eat, King of Shahan?”
Wulanbaer then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, tilted his head and opened his mouth, indicating that he wanted to be fed.
Rong Feijun: “…”
He quickly stuffed a piece of meat into Wulanbaer’s mouth.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Wulanbaer almost choked.
Why so rough? And this piece of meat is huge.
Across from them, Qi Xiao and Fu Yunzhi watched their interaction, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Did we miss something?
Qi Xiao passed the plate of meat he had originally intended for Rong Feijun to Fu Yunzhi. “This meat… we should just eat it ourselves.”
Fu Yunzhi nodded. We’re completely superfluous here.
The welcome banquet continued until midnight and still hadn’t ended. Wulanbaer hadn’t hired any official dancers or singers for entertainment, so some of the soldiers volunteered to stand up and sing. Some who had had too much to drink also pulled their companions up to sing and dance. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
Wulanbaer went off to have a drinking contest with his lieutenants, and Fu Yunzhi went to the latrine. Only Rong Feijun and Qi Xiao were left by the bonfire. So, with a mischievous look on his face, Qi Xiao immediately sat down beside him. “Your Majesty, you and the King of Shahan, hmm?”
“Hmm?” Rong Feijun said, not understanding.
Qi Xiao winked. “Hmm?”
“Hmm?”
Qi Xiao: “…”
Seeing Rong Feijun looking at him with a righteous and puzzled expression, he had no choice but to say, “You and the King of Shahan seem very close? How did your relationship suddenly get so good?”
“Is that so?” Rong Feijun said, surprised.
Seeing him like this, Qi Xiao roughly guessed the situation and changed his approach. “Then has the King of Shahan done anything strange to you?”
Rong Feijun looked at him.
Strange… actions?
“Ah-Xiao, you’ve misunderstood,” Rong Feijun said. “The King of Shahan and I are just good friends who get along well. It’s not the kind of relationship you and Yunzhi have.”
Qi Xiao was very proud and said happily, “You could tell?”
“Naturally.” That sickeningly sweet gaze, that blinding smile when they look at each other, and that terrible tone when they talk. You’d have to be blind not to see it!
“I haven’t even asked you yet,” Rong Feijun smiled. “When did you get him?”
Besides Qi Shaoling, Rong Feijun was also aware of Qi Xiao’s feelings for Fu Yunzhi.
Speaking of this, Qi Xiao immediately perked up and smugly told him about the paintings, saying that his charm was endless and that his wifey had been secretly in love with him for years.
Rong Feijun was also happy for them and patted his shoulder. “Then when we get back to the capital, I will bestow a marriage upon you.”
Hearing this, Qi Xiao was stunned, and the smile on his face froze.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing his face suddenly turn dark, Rong Feijun also knew something was wrong. “Is there a problem?”
Qi Xiao told him about the Flower Moon Gu, and also that Mu Linglong was currently trying to find a solution, so there might be a turn for the better.
“There will be a turn for the better. Cult Leader Mu is a divine physician. We still have a year to think about it,” Qi Xiao reiterated, though he didn’t know if he was saying it for himself or for Rong Feijun.
Rong Feijun frowned. Fu Yunzhi had never told him about these things.
“A year?”
Qi Xiao nodded.
Rong Feijun was speechless for a long time. Suddenly hearing that his childhood friend had less than a year to live, he even suspected it was just a joke.
It was natural to be sad, but someone was sadder than him. He forced himself to suppress his emotions and smiled. “Then what do you plan to do?”
Qi Xiao gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know either. If it were you, Your Majesty, what would you do?”
Rong Feijun thought for a moment and said solemnly, “Share joys and sorrows, live and die together.”
Qi Xiao looked at the flickering flames of the bonfire. A few moths were fluttering around it. Did these moths know that the fire before them was fatal? One by one, they flew into it without hesitation, burned to ashes.
But at least they were happy before they died.
“Then, when we get back to the capital, I will ask Your Majesty to bestow the marriage.” Qi Xiao had thought for a long time and had thought about many things, but in the end, he had made up his mind.
Tomorrow, I will go to Mu Linglong and ask for the master Gu.
Whether Fu Yunzhi resents me or thinks it’s not worth it, as long as the two of us can live one more day together, that’s enough.
Just as they were speaking, Wulanbaer returned.
“Your Majesty!” He handed Rong Feijun a plate of lamb leg. “This part is especially delicious, and it’s been dipped in a special sauce.”
Rong Feijun shook his head. He really couldn’t eat.
Fu Yunzhi also returned. Seeing everyone staring silently at the bonfire, he wondered why the atmosphere had become so strange after he had just gone to the latrine. Or rather, heavy.
Rong Feijun glanced at him and couldn’t hold it in any longer. He stood up. “I’m going back first.”
Seeing this, Wulanbaer also stood up.
“Didn’t we say we were going to the Sacred Forest?”
After the two of them left, Fu Yunzhi looked at Qi Xiao. “Did you tell the Emperor about the Flower Moon Gu?”
This was the first time the two of them had talked about this topic since the wedding snatching. They had been avoiding it all this time, but avoidance was ultimately not a solution.
Fu Yunzhi had little time left to live, and they both knew it better than anyone.
“Yes. The Emperor said he would bestow a marriage upon us. We’ll get married when we get back to the capital.”
Fu Yunzhi frowned and said softly, “You don’t mind?”
“Silly boy, what are you talking about?”
Fu Yunzhi smiled and, not caring about the eyes of others, leaned his head on Qi Xiao’s shoulder. The two of them sat closely together.
The welcome banquet was not over yet, and the soldiers were still in high spirits. This will probably go on until dawn, Qi Xiao thought. He said to Fu Yunzhi, “The Emperor and the King of Shahan have gone to the Sacred Forest.”
“Is that so? Should we go and see? Can that King of Shahan be trusted?”
“That’s not it…” Qi Xiao whispered in his ear. “Shall we also go for a walk somewhere?”
“Tsk.”
Qi Xiao took his hand and left. They went out of the city gate to the deserted sand. Although the desert scenery was monotonous, it was magnificent, and the night had a different kind of charm.
“Shall we go to the lookout tower?” Qi Xiao said.
Fu Yunzhi nodded.
The lookout tower was about four or five miles from the city gate. They walked slowly and arrived half an hour later.
Due to its geographical location, the lookout tower had been abandoned, leaving only a dilapidated high platform. But although it was dilapidated, it was still fine to climb up, look at the stars, and chat.
Even so, after glancing at the collapsed stairs, Qi Xiao still said, “I’ll go up first and see if it’s safe.”
He didn’t want them both to fall after climbing up. He himself would be fine, but he was afraid Fu Yunzhi would get hurt. After all, this platform was at least fifty feet high.
Fu Yunzhi nodded and watched him leap up with his lightness skill.
On the high platform, there were several inches of dust and a musty smell, but the floor was solid. After walking around, Qi Xiao noticed something was wrong.
This smell…
He walked to a corner of the platform and found a pool of blood. It looked like it had been left not long ago and was still fresh.
Why is there blood here…
Just as he was thinking, a low growl like that of a wild beast came from below the platform. A chill went down his spine. He didn’t care about the blood anymore and jumped down like a madman.
Below, Fu Yunzhi was clutching his arm, lying on the ground, his white robes stained with blood. And in front of him was a person… no, could it be called a person?
Lifeless eyes, grayish-white skin, a dazed expression. And through the tattered clothes, one could clearly see the rotting skin, with white bones exposed in some parts. And what was even more terrifying was that this monster was covered in plump worms, their soft bodies wriggling among the bones.
Seeing the monster let out a hoarse cry and lunge at him, Fu Yunzhi covered his head and shouted, “Qi Xiao!!”
Qi Xiao swung his sword at the monster, but it sank deep into its body, getting stuck in the ribs of its chest. He was startled and tried to pull it out, but the worms in the monster’s body stretched out and wrapped tightly around the blade. The worms were born of flesh and bone, and for a moment, he couldn’t free his sword.
The monster, as if completely unaware that a sword was stuck in its body, was about to touch Fu Yunzhi’s neck with its rotting hands. Qi Xiao let go of the hilt and turned to block the attack for him. But Fu Yunzhi, though injured, used his last bit of strength to kick him away. Caught off guard, Qi Xiao had not expected this sudden move from behind and was kicked off balance. The monster’s hand then grabbed Fu Yunzhi’s neck.
Qi Xiao’s eyes turned red. He roared and drew a short knife from his waist, cutting off the monster’s hands. This time, he had experience. The blade only cut through the skin, not the bone. After making a cut, he used his internal energy to snap it. Then, he cut off the monster’s head.
A greenish-purple liquid gurgled out from the hole in its neck, accompanied by many tiny worms. Even so, the monster still didn’t fall. Its body was still moving slowly. So, Qi Xiao swung his knife at its waist again.
After cutting the monster into four pieces, it finally twitched and lost its ability to move. The worms, having lost their host, let out a few chirps, their bodies stiffened, and they died.
Qi Xiao panted heavily, his hands trembling as he helped Fu Yunzhi up.
“Yunzhi! Yunzhi!”
“Yunzhi, don’t scare me…”
Fu Yunzhi had already lost consciousness. Blood was gushing from the wound on his shoulder, and his neck was a mess of bruises and bloodstains.
Qi Xiao picked him up and ran back to Li City at the fastest speed of his life…
