Chapter 47: Past Events and Shadows
Mo Yan sat on the edge of his bed, holding a wine flask, thinking to himself that it had been many years since he had been unable to sleep like this. The safety of the imperial palace was entrusted to him, and the safety of that person was also his responsibility, so he never dared to be negligent. Since becoming the commander of the imperial guards, he had always been diligent in his duties. At night, he was either on patrol or so tired that he had no extra time for insomnia.
Drinking was also something from many years ago. At that time, Rong Feijun had just ascended the throne, and his foundation was not yet stable. The imperial city was in a state of turmoil. And at that time, Mo Yan was still just a small city gate guard. The few taels of silver he earned had no family to be entrusted to, so he bought a lot of wine. At least drinking could temporarily make him forget those terrible things…
“Why don’t you die, you bastard with no father or mother! You dare to compete with us for a position?”
“Who says he has no mother? Isn’t his mother a prostitute? He’s as lowly as his long-dead mother!”
“Damn it, you were so arrogant in front of the centurion, showing off so much. Aren’t you very strong? Why don’t you fight back?”
“Tsk, a lowly bastard born of a prostitute like you, you still want to go to war?”
Five or six guards of a higher rank than him spat the most terrible words and constantly punched and kicked him. A rain of fists and kicks fell on him. Mo Yan’s eyes were bloodshot, and he held his head in his hands, his fists clenched tightly.
He was clearly more skilled in martial arts than these motley crew of soldiers, but fighting back would not only be useless, but would also make the situation worse. If it got to the higher-ups, he, a lowly city gate guard, would still be the one punished. He wasn’t afraid of punishment, but he was afraid that his meager few taels of silver would be deducted, and he wouldn’t be able to buy wine. How could he live then?
Swoosh—
The several large men surrounding him suddenly fell to the ground. He looked up and saw a nobly dressed young master standing not far away.
One of the guards stood up and said fiercely to the young master, “My father is Minister Li Yuanda! If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”
Mo Yan was also worried for him. Seeing his luxurious clothes, he was probably also an official. So young, he hoped his future wouldn’t be ruined by these parasites.
The young master seemed to have heard something very interesting. He drew his sword, not the blade but the hilt, and looked at them with a smile.
“Damn it!” The guards were angered by his provocative gesture and also drew their swords, preparing to charge at him. At this moment, Mo Yan suddenly stood up, roared, and threw himself with all his might at the guard closest to him, punching and kicking him until he could no longer get up.
He turned and grappled with another guard, beating him until he howled in pain. Seeing his high martial arts skills and that he was now fighting back like a madman, the others immediately dragged their injured companions and fled.
“Mo Yan! You’re dead!” one of them, the self-proclaimed “son of Minister Li,” shouted fiercely at him before leaving.
Mo Yan sneered. Not only the wine, but now his life might also be at stake.
Forget it, forget it. I have nothing to tie me down anyway.
“You are very skilled,” the young master said. “I can see you’ve practiced martial arts. Why didn’t you fight back?”
“If I don’t fight back, I just get some bruises,” Mo Yan said in a not-so-good tone. “If I fight back, I won’t even have the silver to buy a pot of wine.”
“Then why did you fight back now?”
“Why did I fight back?” Mo Yan glanced at him coolly. “Why don’t you ask yourself?”
If I wasn’t worried that this young master would be innocently implicated, would I need to risk my life like this? He didn’t consider himself a good person, but to let someone die for him, a good-for-nothing with no one, he wasn’t that terrible!
“Actually,” the young master said seriously after a moment of thought, “my father is also a high-ranking person, his rank is higher than Li Yuanda’s. Should I have my father kill those people?”
“No need!” Mo Yan said fiercely. “One day, I will climb to a high position, become a big shot here, and then slowly torture them…”
He didn’t notice the look of appreciation in the young master’s eyes and muttered to himself, “But since your father is so amazing, you have to have him protect my life, or I won’t be alive to fight them!”
“Alright.”
The young master agreed with a smile.
And the next day, Mo Yan stared at the imperial guard armor that was delivered to him, unable to react for a long time.
The eunuch who had brought the clothes smiled. “Congratulations, Young Master Mo. The Emperor has personally appointed you to the imperial guards! This is a great honor!”
Later, he became the commander of the imperial guards and knelt before the Son of Heaven to receive his appointment. No longer an ordinary guard, but a commander who could stand by the Emperor’s side.
That day, the young master, Rong Feijun, had smiled. “Now, not only can you buy a pot of wine, but you can also buy the entire tavern.”
“This general promises,” Mo Yan had said seriously, word by word, “that in the future, in order to be sober and protect Your Majesty at all times and carry out your orders, this general will never touch alcohol.”
And now, looking at the liquid sloshing in the wine flask, he gave a silent, bitter smile. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now, seeing that person being embraced by another man step by step, he suddenly realized that it had never been simple loyalty…
If it were just a simple relationship between a sovereign and his subject, then why would I be jealous, go mad, and feel sad?
It was a light in the darkness, a light he wanted to possess…
The night was long and hard to endure.
The night was hard to endure… In Xianju City, Fu Yunzhi sat by Qi Xiao’s bed, looking at the sleeping man, and felt the same way.
Wang Zhou stood to the side, his face full of guilt.
“Master Fu… I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
Fu Yunzhi turned his head and said with a blank expression, “Get out.”
“Master Fu…”
“Get out!! You can’t even handle such a simple thing. What kind of general are you!”
Wang Zhou’s heart tightened, and he strode out of the room.
Thump—
His chest heaved, and he clenched his fist, punching the trunk of a large tree outside the main tent. The leaves rustled down, and blood flowed from his knuckles.
I really didn’t mean to…
I really didn’t…
He closed his eyes and leaned wearily against the tree. He hadn’t been much of a general since Qi Xiao had arrived. Just an errand boy. His command couldn’t compare, his martial arts couldn’t compare, nothing could compare!
Inside the tent, Fu Yunzhi held Qi Xiao’s hand, his heart in a panic. Although Mu Linglong had repeatedly assured him that Qi Xiao was fine, that it was just a flesh wound and he would be better after some rest, he still couldn’t feel at ease. The scene from the day kept replaying in his mind…
Below the city wall, Qi Xiao had led his personal guards to lure the living dead to one place. Seeing that the time was right, he had signaled to Wang Zhou to prepare.
“Cast the nets!” Wang Zhou stood on high and, seeing the opportunity, commanded the soldiers to cast the large nets.
“Number one, cast!” A group of living dead was trapped in the net, their bodies even more tattered by the barbs. Worms fell out with a plop plop plop, and after spinning in circles on the ground, they crawled back into the corpses. This in-and-out motion greatly weakened their mobility.
“Number two, cast!”
“Number three…”
Qi Xiao looked up, but before he could say “wait,” he heard the command “cast,” and another large net came down…
He frowned. His leg was sprained. He might not be able to retreat in time from this net…
And he was indeed too late. Fu Yunzhi watched as Qi Xiao and about ten living dead were trapped under the same net. He lost his reason and shouted at Wang Zhou, “Didn’t you see that Qi Xiao sprained his ankle! Are you blind!”
Qi Xiao knew he couldn’t lose his composure. He propped up the large net with one hand to avoid being hurt by the poisoned barbs and swung his sword with the other to fend off the living dead. But he was no match for their unkillable nature and numbers.
Fortunately, Shen Linye and Mu Linglong reacted quickly. They didn’t care about the living dead anymore and immediately rushed over to cut the net and rescue him. But the net was exceptionally strong, and even with them infusing their internal energy into their blades, it took them some time. As a result, Qi Xiao’s arm was cut. The gushing blood looked terrifying, but the wound was not deep.
After they rescued him, the last net also fell. All the living dead were captured, and Qi Xiao was carried into the main tent to be bandaged. Although it was a close call, what scared Fu Yunzhi was not his injury, but the scene of him being trapped with the living dead, surrounded by a dozen ferocious-looking monsters…
Fu Yunzhi frantically rubbed his head, and a handful of hair came out in his palm. He was horrified. He rubbed his hair again and, sure enough, grabbed a handful.
“You need to be mentally prepared… If this Gu is not removed, not only will it act up after you drink alcohol and shorten your lifespan, but it will also affect your appearance.”
“The host’s skin will wither and darken due to the poison, his figure will become deformed, and his body hair, including the hair on his head, will fall out…”
He was even more panicked now, his hands trembling slightly.
He pulled open the front of his robes and saw that the veins on his chest were prominent, and wrinkles were beginning to appear on his fair skin.
It’s starting… it’s starting…
He climbed onto the bed and, avoiding Qi Xiao’s wounds, lay on his chest. He didn’t even notice how tightly he was holding him, so much so that he woke him up.
With a heavy weight on his chest, Qi Xiao took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m fine. I have thick skin. I’ve had worse injuries than this I don’t know how many times in past wars. I’m used to it. Don’t look so sad.”
Seeing his expression grow even more sorrowful, his eyes full of heartache, Qi Xiao wanted to slap himself twice.
In the storybooks, I’m so smooth with my flirting. How come when it comes to my wifey, I’m just making things worse…
Seeing Fu Yunzhi lying on him, he suddenly remembered what had happened that morning. While he was catching up on sleep, he had met with Mu Linglong alone. Now, he had the master Gu in his body. Fortunately, he had been pestering him to do those shameless things before, so it wasn’t abrupt now, and he definitely wouldn’t let him find out.
“Yunzhi… I’m injured. I need comfort,” Qi Xiao said pitifully.
Fu Yunzhi: “…”
“I’m injured and my hands and feet are inconvenient,” Qi Xiao said with a shy face. “Why don’t you get on top and move yourself?”
Fu Yunzhi calmly climbed off him and prepared to get out of bed.
Shameless rogue.
He should have been eaten by those living dead.
“Wifey, don’t be like that!” Qi Xiao immediately got up and pressed him down.
Looking at their positions instantly reversed, with Qi Xiao on top of him, Fu Yunzhi said coolly, “Injured, hands and feet inconvenient?”
“If you’re not willing to move yourself, then I’ll move,” Qi Xiao said with a dry laugh. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Seeing him sitting on him, using his uninjured hand to untie his sash, Fu Yunzhi was immediately reminded of the strangeness on his chest and the handful of hair…
Thump—
He fiercely pushed Qi Xiao away and sat up.
“Not tonight…”
Qi Xiao frowned. Mu Linglong had instructed him that having intercourse on the first day of implanting the master Gu would have extra effects and must not be missed. So, he continued to put on a roguish face. “Once, just once.”
Fu Yunzhi clutched the front of his robes tightly, his face grim. “Qi Xiao, not tonight. If you act recklessly again, I’ll get angry.”
As the two were in a stalemate, Jiang Luori’s voice suddenly came from outside the main tent. “General, I heard your voice and knew you were awake, so I came to report.”
“What is it?” Qi Xiao asked.
“There’s something wrong with the living dead we captured. They seem to be going crazy.”
Qi Xiao glanced at Fu Yunzhi, who was sitting far away from him, then at Jiang Luori’s silhouette. Finally, he sighed and stepped out of the tent.
Seeing him leave, Fu Yunzhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Outside the tent, Qi Xiao walked up to Jiang Luori. “I’ll go over myself. You go find Cult Leader Mu and see if he’s available. I have something to ask him.”
With that, he took his sword and headed for the camp where the living dead were being held.
Hmph, I’ll come back and “deal with” the one in the tent later!
