Chapter 49: As If a World Apart
The King of Junce had personally led the expedition this time, and he had brought four of his beloved generals with him. It was clear he had burned his bridges and was putting everything on the line.
The Junce camp was filled with cages holding the living dead. However, these living dead were controlled by the Miao generals and were not as noisy as the ones Qi Xiao had captured.
General Zhuo Fang was the King of Junce’s most prized bargaining chip, and also the key to winning this war. With him leading the living dead, they could form an undead army that could both form ranks and obey orders, serving as a meat shield for the regular army.
Zhuo Fang had become half a living dead, so he didn’t need to eat or sleep. At this moment, he was lying on the bed, feeling a little lost. He didn’t need to sleep, but if he wanted to, he could.
And tonight, he had a dream.
Ever since he had become this kind of monster, all his past memories had disappeared. The living dead shouldn’t be able to dream, so he had no memory of dreams either.
But now, he had one. He was very confused. Was this real or a dream?
There was a person in the dream. That person couldn’t speak, but their eyes were very gentle. When they looked at him, their watery eyes were filled with love.
He kept replaying the scene from the dream in his mind…
It was a beautiful morning. He was wearing bright armor, holding his sword, and preparing to leave.
But before he could step out of the manor, a handsome man chased after him, holding an umbrella. The man couldn’t speak, only pointing at the sky and then at the umbrella in his hand.
He had smiled and taken the umbrella. Even if it rained, a great general like him wouldn’t be like a little girl, holding an umbrella. But he hadn’t refused the man’s kindness.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you when I get back.”
The man thought for a moment and made a shape with his hands.
“Alright, I know. Wait for me to come back.” He had gently planted a light kiss on the man’s forehead.
The scene shifted again. This time, it was in the imperial study of the King of Junce…
He was kneeling on one knee. “Your Majesty, this general has a request.”
“What is it?” The King of Junce, Ruan Chengren, sat on the throne, his eyes dark, his thoughts unknown.
“This general requests Your Majesty to bestow a marriage upon me and Zijun. We have been in love for many years, and I hope to complete our wedding before the war with Langxuan. It would fulfill my only wish in this life, and even if I die in battle, I will have no regrets.”
“Alright, I grant your request. But… there is one condition.” Ruan Chengren took out a bottle. “You must drink this.”
The bottle contained a blood-red liquid. Upon closer inspection, one could see thin, thread-like things swimming in it.
“This is…”
“Don’t worry, would I harm you?” Ruan Chengren had said. “I’m still counting on you to lead us to victory in the war with Langxuan. This is just a medicine to make you stronger.”
After that, the world had plunged into darkness and emptiness.
Zhuo Fang didn’t know what these things in the dream were. When he thought about them in detail, the worms in his body would start to resist and clamor, as if they were about to explode. It was an unbearable feeling. Perhaps he should just listen to the king’s orders for now…
At midnight, in the main tent of the Langxuan army’s camp, Qi Xiao, after having his fill, held Fu Yunzhi and cleaned him up. The two of them then rested under the same quilt.
Fu Yunzhi rested his head on Qi Xiao’s arm, his whole body curled up in his embrace, too tired to move.
“Yunzhi, don’t be afraid,” Qi Xiao said, gently stroking his hair.
“What am I afraid of?”
“I don’t like you because you’re beautiful,” Qi Xiao smiled. “I like you because you’re Yunzhi. As long as you’re still Yunzhi, no matter what you become, I’ll like you.”
He had said these words many times, and he would continue to say them, every day, to make Fu Yunzhi believe him.
“Liar,” Fu Yunzhi pouted. “Who doesn’t like beautiful people? You say that now, but you might not think so in the future. By then, you’ll still be the handsome and elegant General Qi, while I’ll be hideous.”
“Then I’ll use time to prove it to you,” Qi Xiao said helplessly. “You’ll believe me eventually.”
“But when we first met, you praised me for being beautiful.”
“Silly boy,” Qi Xiao pinched his ear firmly. “I will always praise you for being beautiful. The first time we met, in the past, now, and in the future. I think you’re beautiful every day. At every moment, I can’t help but want to have you.”
“You…!” Rogue! Truly a rogue!
“It’s true,” Qi Xiao said pitifully. “As soon as I think of Yunzhi, little Qi gets spirited. I can absolutely guarantee you that, no matter what you look like, I can still go seven times a night.”
“…” Fu Yunzhi buried his head in Qi Xiao’s chest.
Seeing that he was no longer tense, Qi Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief. The storybooks weren’t written in vain. My mouth is quite glib at critical moments.
“Rest early,” Fu Yunzhi said stuffily after a long time. “You captured these living dead to train the soldiers. Junce must have guessed it. Therefore, they will probably attack the city tomorrow. The sooner they attack, the less time the soldiers have to practice, which is more advantageous for them.”
“You’re not angry anymore?” Qi Xiao smiled.
“…”
Qi Xiao lowered his head, his warm breath tickling Fu Yunzhi’s ear. “You were even more ‘excited’ than usual tonight,” he said mischievously. “Actually, you like it too, don’t you? Being tied up like this, naked from the waist down for me to do…”
…
…
A passing lieutenant saw Qi Xiao standing outside the main tent and asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong, General? Not sleeping?”
“Not sleeping,” Qi Xiao said, his head held high. “I’m not sleepy.”
The two of them stared at each other for a while before the lieutenant immediately understood. “I’m on duty tonight. My bed is empty. If you don’t mind, General, you can go rest there!”
Qi the Shura: “…”
“…Alright.”
Compared to the tense and ready-for-battle situation in Xianju City, the Langxuan capital was very peaceful, with no movement at all.
Rong Feijun had always been an early riser and a late sleeper, busy with memorials until late at night. But ever since a certain someone had insisted on sharing a bed with him, he had also been forced to go to bed early.
“Sleeping early is good for your health. You have to get up early tomorrow. How can your body handle it if you go on like this?” The King of Shahan firmly believed this.
And tonight, Rong Feijun had also gone to bed early. Wulanbaer reached out and pulled him into his arms, then also closed his eyes to rest. In his arms, Rong Feijun slept very soundly, a depth he had never experienced before.
He had let go of all his burdens and fallen into a deep sleep, completely defenseless. So, he didn’t even notice when Mo Yan came into the room.
“Your Maj…” Mo Yan was holding a stack of memorials. When he saw Wulanbaer, the words of greeting stuck in his throat.
Wulanbaer looked at the raging fire, or rather, the fire of jealousy, in his eyes and, provocatively, lowered his head and gently planted a kiss on Rong Feijun’s forehead.
Mo Yan felt a string in his heart snap with a thud. He drew his sword and pointed it at him, saying in a low voice, “Let go of the Emperor!”
“What?” Wulanbaer smiled. “Do you think I forced Feijun to let me hold him, to let me kiss him?”
Mo Yan was stunned, his body frozen.
“You’ve been avoiding it all this time, deceiving yourself into thinking that Feijun doesn’t like me, that he just needs my troops. But is that really the truth?”
Mo Yan looked at Rong Feijun, sleeping so sweetly in Wulanbaer’s arms.
His Majesty… has never been like this.
“In your heart, is Feijun a person who would willingly submit to another for power? Heh, he is the Emperor.”
“I’m not!” Mo Yan growled.
“Why are you lowering your voice? Because you know that if you wake him up, the person he will help is me, not you, right? He likes me, he loves me. Can’t you see?”
Mo Yan could no longer hold it in. He threw the memorials aside and ran out.
Wulanbaer raised an eyebrow, leaned in, and murmured, his forehead touching Rong Feijun’s, “Feijun, you are mine…”
