Chapter 112

Yun Qi only stayed for one day, entrusting the task of guarding Cheng Junshi to someone else. When Cheng Junshi saw the person who came, he did not feel unfamiliar at all, and it could even be said that it was expected.

He had known for a long time that Wang Xiuzhen had connections with Yun Qi. Back then, it was Yun Qi who prevented him and Tang Qi from investigating Zhang Dong's case.

Wang Xiuzhen didn't have Yun Qi's good temper. To make it easier to keep an eye on him, Cheng Junshi was locked in a room and confined to this dilapidated courtyard.

His plan was brilliant. If Tang Qi won, Wang Xiuzhen would release Cheng Junshi as they had suggested. If he lost, Cheng Junshi would be his excuse to protect himself.

He captured the traitors to demonstrate his loyalty. No matter how big the fire in Jingzhou, it wouldn't reach him; Wang Xiuzhen was the man who knew best how to protect himself.

The courtyard was completely surrounded by Yun Qi's Black-Clad Guards and Wang Xiuzhen's men, and there were patrols everywhere, so Cheng Junshi couldn't find an opportunity to escape. Just when he was almost in despair, he got his first chance.

Wang Shili's appearance, as always, made people want to slowly close their eyes.

"Don't stop me! There's nobody here, why does my dad come here all the time? Say one more word and I'll beat you to death!"

His voice was so loud that Cheng Junshi couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to.

"I want to see what kind of beauty he's hiding here that's so precious!" As the voice grew closer, Cheng Junshi flicked his sleeves and sat down comfortably in a chair, waiting for him to open the door.

"Open it! Can't you hear me? I said open it!"

“Young master, please don’t make things difficult for me. Lord Wang specifically instructed that no one else is allowed to open this door except for him.”

"Others?" Wang Shili rolled up his sleeves: "Don't be ridiculous, am I someone else? Open it for me now!"

Cheng Junshi calmly took a sip of tea while listening to the sounds outside.

He was certain that the door would open today, because no one could withstand Wang Shili's scoundrel tactics.

As expected, after he drew his sword and threatened to kill himself, the door was finally unlocked.

His cursing and shouting disappeared completely after the door opened and he met Cheng Junshi's gaze.

Wang Shili: "..." His father must be crazy.

The "beauty" in front of him smiled slightly: "Long time no see, Young Master Wang."

Wang Shili stepped inside, slammed the door shut with both hands, and the two stared at each other for a long time before he finally couldn't help but ask, "How come it's you?"

"Why are you still here?" He sat down and asked Cheng Junshi with a frown. "I thought you would be in Jingzhou with that group of people."

The person opposite him remained silent, so Wang Shili casually made a sarcastic remark: "You haven't been dumped, have you?"

Cheng Junshi: "..."

"Ha—" His eyes turned excited and malicious: "You didn't have a good relationship with that group either, did you? Looks like you were one of those who were ostracized."

"Also?" Cheng Junshi finally looked him in the eye.

Wang Shili froze for a moment, then quickly changed the subject: "Nothing much. You're the only smart one among you. I don't know what's wrong with Ye Qian. He actually dared to follow that guy named Ta Qing in his rebellion. He's really out of his mind."

He cursed for a long time, but seeing that Cheng Junshi had no reaction, he felt bored. He glanced at the tightly closed gate and said in a nonchalant tone, "It's good that you're locked up here. It's very chaotic outside now. I should have asked my dad to open a courtyard for me here so I could hide in comfortably."

"I want to go to Jingzhou, do you have a way?" Cheng Junshi asked directly, without any preamble.

Wang Shili was stunned for a moment, then looked him up and down and said, "...Are you crazy? Why would you go to Jingzhou at this time? Do you really want to die with those people?"

He pursed his lips, slammed his fist on the table, and continued, "They've made such a big show of rebellion, even though they're doing it under the guise of supporting a new ruler. But the leader is clearly a traitor. I can understand Ye Qian wanting to gamble on Li Guang, but why are you running up there to join in the fun?"

Wang Shili looked at Cheng Junshi and muttered, "You guys are really not smart enough. You're all rushing to your deaths with Ta Qing. Who is he that you would risk your lives for? I've lived this long and I've never seen anyone become a hero by rebelling."

"Where did he come from? With so many generals in Juecheng, how could he become the leader?" Wang Shili continued dismissively, "Let those people go, they can at least fight for themselves. Ta Qing isn't Tang Qi, why are you insisting..."

When Wang Shili said the name "Tang Qi," his voice suddenly stopped as if something had caught in it, as if a tendon in his brain had snapped and pierced his chest, tying a knot in his heart.

“…Ta Qing…Tang…Qi?” He froze, his eyes shifting from mockery and disdain to a blank, empty look, as if he were waking from a dream, his voice barely audible.

Across from him, Cheng Junshi calmly waited for him to raise his head again, and then—

"...You knew all along?" Wang Shili realized belatedly, as if he were witnessing someone else's long-awaited reunion on a rainy day, while he was just the rain that fell.

“Yes, you know, you all definitely know.” He murmured, head bowed, “Only I don’t know.”

"I want to go to Jingzhou, please help me."

These words instantly ignited a fire in Wang Shili's heart. He jumped up from his chair like a dog whose tail had been stepped on: "No way! Why should I help you?!"

As if trying to convince himself, or perhaps venting his frustration, he roared incoherently, "You two have such a deep bond, you've always been together, and now you only think of me when you need help? Do you think I, Wang Shili, am some kind of idiot who's always throwing himself at you?! Go die if you want! Don't drag me into this! I'm not getting involved in your head-risking mess!"

Cheng Junshi looked at his eyes, which were red with excitement, and did not argue with him. He just looked at him silently and stubbornly.

Wang Shili grew increasingly irritated by his gaze, pacing back and forth in the cramped room, muttering to himself, "I'm not helping them. They're all going to their deaths. They'd better die sooner, and die somewhere far away!"

However, he slowed his pace and eventually stopped by the window. The guards outside remained tight, and only he and Cheng Junshi were left inside.

Jingzhou is just too far away.

He will never get there, no matter how he tries.

A strong, resentful impulse, mixed with something he couldn't quite explain and a desire to prove something, grew wildly in his heart like weeds.

He slowly turned around, his eyes carrying a resigned calm: "...Are you going to help Tang Qi?"

"right."

The person opposite finally fell silent, and after a long while, sat down again, as if making some kind of decision, and said, "Okay, I'll help you."

How can I help?

Wang Shili pointed at Cheng Junshi, then at himself: "You, impersonate me and sneak out!"

Cheng Junshi was taken aback.

Wang Shili continued quickly, "The guards in this courtyard recognize my face and are afraid I'll cause trouble. Put on my clothes, lower your head, act arrogantly, and when it gets dark, rush out and say that I'm tired of staying here and want to go back to my residence. They won't dare to really stop me."

This plan is bold and risky, but it seems to be the only feasible solution at present.

"Impersonating you?" Cheng Junshi frowned. "What if your father finds out?"

"So what if he found out!" Wang Shili tried to remain calm, but his fingertips still trembled involuntarily. "He...he can't kill me even if he's angry, can he? At most, he'll put me in solitary confinement for a few days and give me a few lashes—anyway, he can't really do anything to me." These words seemed to be encouraging Cheng Junshi, and also to bolster his own courage.

"But--"

"No buts!" Wang Shili interrupted him, a look of resignation on his face: "It's settled then!"

As he spoke, he suddenly drew the ornately decorated dagger from his waist, a dagger that was usually more of a decoration.

Cheng Junshi's pupils contracted: "What are you going to do?"

Wang Shili did not answer. He gritted his teeth, his face showing an extremely painful and conflicted expression, and muttered, "...I'm most afraid of pain."

Before he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and swiftly slashed two cuts into his arm with a dagger.

"Hiss—" He gasped, wincing in pain.

"What are you doing!" Cheng Junshi was startled.

Wang Shili clutched his bleeding arm, his face pale with pain, but he forced a glare at Cheng Junshi, his voice trembling with tears and arrogance: "What do you know! How can you fool my father if you don't make it look real? Remember, I was beaten and robbed of my clothes by you, you vicious prisoner. Hurry up! Stop dawdling, change your clothes before I regret it!"

He gasped for breath as he frantically took off his outer robe and stuffed it into Cheng Junshi's hands. He also tore his golden crown that bound his hair in disarray and even smeared some dirt on his face to create the appearance of a fight.

Looking at his cowardly yet ruthless, pain-averse yet self-destructive demeanor, Cheng Junshi felt a strange urge to laugh, yet also a sense of impropriety.

Wang Shili, dressed in Cheng Junshi's rather plain clothes, clutched his wound and huddled in a corner, grimacing as he urged, "Get out of here! Remember, once you're out, keep your head down and hurl the most offensive insults you can at him!"

Cheng Junshi put on Wang Shili's flamboyant brocade robe, styled his hair in his usual slightly messy way, and took a deep look at Wang Shili, who was gasping in pain but still trying to put on a fierce expression: "Thanks."

"Who wants your thanks! Get lost!" Wang Shili buried his head in his knees and roared in a muffled voice.

He took two steps and then suddenly stopped: "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Wang Shili: "..." He kept his face buried in his knees, and his voice finally slipped out from between his knees, carrying a rare honesty.

"I want to be a hero too, is that not allowed?"

Without further hesitation, Cheng Junshi took a deep breath and, trying his best to imitate Wang Shili's arrogant demeanor, flung open the door. Head bowed, he roared at the stunned guards outside in the most arrogant tone imaginable: "What are you looking at! This wretched place is suffocating! Get out of the way! I'm going back to my residence! Keep an eye on the people inside, don't let them come out even a step, or believe me, I'll kill you all!"

The guards watched as "Wang Shili" angrily walked out, covering half his face, and heard faint groans coming from inside the house. They were completely bewildered, but given the young master's usual tyranny, they didn't dare to forcibly stop him. They just looked at each other and made way for him.

Cheng Junshi's heart pounded wildly, but he forced himself to remain calm. He continued cursing and swearing, and thanks to Wang Shili as his protector, he actually managed to cross several patrol lines without any real danger and headed out of the courtyard.

As the footsteps and curses outside faded into the distance, Wang Shili, who had been huddled to the side, slowly raised his head. The excruciating pain in his arm brought tears to his eyes.

He kicked the dagger away, cursing Cheng Junshi, Tang Qi, and the others in his mind before collapsing to the ground and muttering to himself, "...They're fucking insane."

It hurts so much.