Xie Shuci noticed the fleeting sadness on his face, hesitated for a moment, and didn't know what to say.
Fang Xunxue lowered his eyes, staring at the wine glass swaying in his hand, lost in thought, not even reacting when the wine wet his fingertips.
Xie Shuci wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt there was another layer of meaning in Fang Xunxue's words, which he couldn't quite figure out.
While Xie Shuci was in a daze, Xiao Xun put a piece of braised pork into Xie Shuci's bowl. Xie Shuci came back to his senses and was instantly distracted, looking at Xiao Xun beside him in surprise.
When he looked up, he met a pair of unfathomable, cold eyes staring straight at him.
Xie Shuci: "..."
Well, it's clear that if Xie Shuci looks at Fang Xunxue again, this little guy is about to explode.
He quickly lowered his head, took a bite of the braised pork, and ground the meat with his teeth. He thought to himself that this little brat was indeed much more difficult to deal with than Xie An himself. He didn't know why, but Xie Shuci would get upset if he looked at him even twice.
Fang Xunxue seemed unwilling to speak again, her eyes listlessly fixed on the cup.
Xie Shuci was indeed a bit hungry and didn't pay much attention to his expression, focusing on eating heartily. Xiao Xun, on the other hand, sat next to Xie Shuci with a sour face, his little face tense, not even touching his chopsticks.
The king carried the beef to Senior Xing Tie. Senior Xing Tie lay listlessly on the ground. When he saw a little thing running up behind him, he glanced at it, too lazy to pay attention to it, and then looked away.
The king shrank back under its gaze and dared not move forward.
Waaaaah, my senior is so scary! It looks like he's going to eat me up...
Baby is so scared, but the senior is really amazing. Baby wants to be like the senior, and just let out a "whoosh" and scare the person out of their wits.
The little puppy took a deep breath and slowly and carefully carried the beef in its mouth to Senior Xingtie. Actually, it was also very hungry. The noodles cooked by its little mother were terrible. It was allowed to taste the flavor first, but it couldn't eat more than a couple of bites. The beef in its mouth smelled so good that its mouth was watering. But this was for its senior!
The seniors haven't eaten, how can I, as their junior, eat?
The little puppy's legs trembled, and it kept its head down very low, as if afraid that Senior Xing Tie would open his blood-red maw and "roar" and swallow it whole.
Waaaaah, I'm so scared!
Xing Tie squinted at the little puppy that tremblingly brought the beef to him.
The king had just put down the beef, which was still covered in his saliva, when a wet blade immediately stretched out from above and brushed against his head.
"Awooo!"
Don't eat the baby! Don't eat the baby! The baby is dirty, smelly, and doesn't taste good at all!
The king was so frightened that he fell to the ground and screamed.
Xing Tie: "..."
Although it was a wolf, one could still see a hint of speechlessness in its eyes as it rolled up its long tongue and put the beef into its mouth.
Seeing that it hadn't managed to eat itself after a while, the king lifted its little head off the ground and timidly glanced at its senior's face. The little bit of food it had brought back wasn't even enough to fill its teeth, so it swallowed it in an instant.
"Aww..."
Not eating, baby?
Xing Tie snorted and didn't want to pay any attention to this little coward.
The king, true to his reputation as a lapdog, asked expectantly, "Awoooooo!"
Baby, could you go and get some more food for Lion and Tiger?
Xing Tie glanced at it but ignored it.
The king is shameless. Anyway, if the senior doesn't eat him, it means the senior is willing to be his lion-tiger. He should give the lion-tiger more things to show his respect, and then the lion-tiger will teach him how to become stronger!
The king wiggled his little bottom and shook his head as he ran into the inn.
"Aww!"
It ran to Xie Shuci's side, let out a soft cry, then grabbed Xie Shuci's clothes and jumped onto the table in a few leaps, looking left and right.
Xie Shuci had almost finished eating. Looking at the boy's chubby face, she couldn't help but give him a squeeze. "What are you doing?"
"Awooo!" Baby wants to get food for Lion and Tiger!
It howled twice, saw a large pork knuckle on the plate that no one had eaten, and took a big bite.
"Ouch!" Suddenly a hand reached over its head and patted it lightly on the head. The king looked over with teary eyes and found its little mother looking at it with a serious expression.
The king, whimpering, released the large pork knuckle from his mouth and burrowed into Xie Shuci's arms, "Awoooooo..."
Daddy! Mommy hits baby, waaaaah, he doesn't like baby...
Xie Shuci rubbed its head. He hadn't expected the king to stare at the pork knuckle and take a bite. He glanced at Fang Xunxue across from him with a bit of embarrassment. "Sorry, it's usually a bit greedy. Shall I ask them to bring another one?"
Fang Xunxue shook her head and said, "It's alright, as long as it likes it."
"Aww..." The king looked at his little mother with a pitiful expression. Baby wanted to show respect to the lion and tiger, so why did he suddenly hit baby?
After thanking Fang Xunxue, Xie Shuci presented the braised pork knuckle to the king and said, "From now on, tell me in advance what you want to eat. Don't just bite into it, understand?"
"Awooo..." The king responded, biting the elbow in front of it, which was not much smaller than itself, and jumped to the ground with a thud. Fortunately, it was strong. It rubbed the elbow against Fang Xunxue's shoes, then glared resentfully at its little mother. Then it ran out of the inn to continue to offer its cheap lion and tiger.
"Oh dear, I'm so drunk, how come this pork knuckle is running away by itself?"
"What are you saying? Keep drinking, keep drinking! If you miss today, you might not have another chance like this!"
"Come on, let's continue."
The king, carrying a pork knuckle, approached Senior Xing Tie and obsequiously placed it right under Xing Tie's nose. "The pork knuckle smells so good! I want some too!"
Xing Tie glanced at it, then lowered his head and ate the pork knuckle.
The king stared at it longingly, "Awooo!"
My baby wants to be like you, able to scare them away with a loud cry. Can you teach my baby to do that?
Xing Tie ate the pork knuckle without spitting out the bones, and closed his eyes, ignoring it.
It must be that the lion and tiger weren't full and didn't have the strength to teach it! It needs to find food for the lion and tiger!
With a determined look in its eyes, the king ran back to the inn, fawning and begging at each table, winning a lot of delicious food. But it didn't dare to keep any for itself, and gave it all to the lion and tiger. In the end, it was so hungry that its chest was sticking to its back and it could barely run anymore. It lay down on the ground in despair, tears welling up in its eyes, about to fall.
Waaaaah, I'm so hungry! Why isn't the lion teaching me yet?
The king raised his eyes and looked at the ruthless lion and tiger. The lion and tiger were so cruel.
"Roar." The king did not give up. It got up from the ground, mustered its courage, walked to the lion and tiger's side, and gently touched the lion and tiger's paw with its paw. "Roar."
My baby wants to become stronger, can you teach him/her?
"Awooo!"
Lion, Tiger, Tiger~
"Awoooooo!"
Teach the baby!
"Ouch."
Baby was wrong, baby shouldn't have laughed at you. "Aww!"
Lions and tigers are invincible, unparalleled in the world!
"Awooo..."
The king inadvertently channeled his spiritual power into the lion and tiger's bodies, and was immediately stunned.
The lion and tiger's bodies are so strange. They can clearly absorb spiritual energy, so why aren't they continuing to cultivate?
"Awooooo!"
Lion and Tiger! With a little more cultivation, you'll be able to form your inner core!
The king is a born spirit beast with extraordinary talent in this area. It clearly senses that lions and tigers can become spirit beasts, so why aren't they?
Becoming a spirit beast will make you incredibly powerful, and you won't age!
Xing Tie glanced at it, and an old, heavy voice rang in its ears, "What do you know, little brat?"
"Awoooooo!"
Baby's clumsy, just like Daddy.
Xing Tie then fell silent.
"Awoooooo!"
Lion, tiger, lion, tiger, lion, please teach the baby, please teach the baby!
Inside the inn, Xie Shuci and Xiao Xun switched places, and Xie Shuci leaned against the window, watching the whole scene of the king's obsequious behavior. This little thing was really shameless and persistent. He finally understood why even a cold and aloof crane could speak kindly to it. It was because the king was a little thing; you couldn't scold it away; you could hit it, and even after the pain subsided, it would keep coming back to you.
They're like an invincible leech, you can't get rid of them no matter what you do or how much you scold them.
Perhaps annoyed by the pestering, Xing Tie whispered to the king twice. The little guy's eyes lit up, and he immediately transformed back into his Crimson Snow Wolf form, drooping his tail, raising his head, and letting out a soft, weak howl that was completely incomparable to Xing Tie's wolf howl.
The king seemed to have some self-awareness, and hung its head in frustration. Xing Tie roared at it again, but the king persisted, continuing to make "woof woof" noises.
Now that night has fallen, the people living nearby are furious and come one after another. They see Xing Tie beside the king and have experienced its gentle breeze during the day, so they dare not speak out against it.
Xie Shuci leaned against the window, unable to stop himself from chuckling. The king's roar had no intimidating power whatsoever. Seeing the dark expressions on the faces of the passersby, Xie Shuci found it particularly amusing and did not stop it in time.
Xiao Xun sat down, pursed his lips, looked at Xie Shuci, and said, "You don't need to spoil it too much."
Xie Shuci shook his head and said, "It probably wants to become more powerful too, so let it be."
"Young Master Deng!"
Come on, let's drink together!
Several drunken leaders of Songjiu Camp came to the table with wine jugs in their hands.
Xie Shuci declined, saying, "I can't hold my liquor well, so there's no need."
One of them sat down on the other side.
"Young Master Deng, I've heard you guys are incredibly cool when you cast spells. When will you show us?"
"Yeah, I'm sick of hearing those stories from the capital. Things like riding the wind and flying, making hand seals and forming hand gestures—we've never seen anything like it before!"
"You haven't seen it? When we surrendered, didn't the emperor specifically release the books written by his great-great-grandmother? It's said that they contain his great-great-grandmother's personal experiences."
"Oh dear! Why bring this up all of a sudden? Now that I think about it, you guys were really easy to fool. A painting and a few sketchbooks were enough to get rid of us! And those ten gigolos were taken back too, tsk tsk tsk! Tell me, wasn't that a rip-off? Wasn't that a rip-off?"
Xie Shuci felt inexplicably better as he listened to their rambling nonsense.
"Let me tell you, real cultivators are far more like the gentle breeze depicted in storybooks!"
Xie Shuci patted Xiao Xun next to him, signaling him to switch places with him.
Xiao Xun was a little unwilling, but he didn't want to be surrounded by others, so he had no choice but to switch places with Xie Shuci with a cold face.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. "Brother Deng, tell us what happened!"
Xie Shuci was a master storyteller, embellishing his stories and changing his identity to recount his experiences.
Everyone listened with amazement, and even Fang Xunxue, who had been lost in thought at first, gradually became serious as he spoke, staring intently at Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci spoke vividly, and when he got really into it, he would slam his fist on the table and stand up.
"You don't know that on the day the Frightened Feather Birds returned to their nests, twelve Frightened Feather Birds took off from the magic circle, flapping their wings and flying in the air. Their cries were magnificent, and the firelight illuminated the entire sky! One Frightened Feather Tree after another bloomed, their crimson petals like a blooming sea of fire. I still remember that scene to this day!"
"Brother Deng actually witnessed the once-in-a-decades return of the startled birds to their nests?"
"How enviable!"
Even Fang Xunxue's gaze towards Xie Shuci carried an indescribable mix of sorrow and envy.
Xie Shuci asked curiously, "The Southwest Pass is only three days' journey from Tianzhu City. Why don't you go and take a look?"
“Brother Deng, our Qi Kingdom has been fighting against Dongli for two whole years. Qi Kingdom’s northeastern pass has also been frequently harassed. For the past two years, we have been attacked from both sides. Our Songjiu Battalion, as the elite force of the court, has been busy fighting, not to mention how we have no energy to go see the Jingyu Flower. Besides, that is Dongli Kingdom’s territory!”
"Yes, they've suffered setbacks in Qi these past two years almost entirely because of our Songjiu Camp. The Emperor of Dongli probably hates us to the core. If we were to go to Dongli's territory, we'd be skinned alive!"
Xie Shuci said, "By the way, isn't Dongli about to withdraw its troops? Why are you being sent to the Southwest Pass at this time?"
As soon as Xie Shuci said this, the hall fell into an eerie silence. Even the drunken leaders' faces darkened.
Looking at their silent expressions, Xie Shuci suddenly had a bad feeling.
“There are still many refugees near the Southwest Pass. Perhaps the Emperor sent us here so that we could settle them properly,” Fang Xunxue said calmly.
Several of the leaders echoed, "Yes, yes."
"As the saying goes, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."
"By the way, Brother Deng, did you see the most beautiful woman in the world—Luo Xianyu—when you went to Tianzhu City?"
The group resumed their conversation and continued to ask Xie Shuci all sorts of questions.
Xie Shuci smiled and said, "I've met you before."
"How, how?"
"Is it truly living up to its reputation?"
Xie Shuci replied, "Of course, it lives up to its reputation!"
"Brother Deng has actually met Miss Luo; I am truly envious."
Seeing their admiring gazes greatly satisfied Xie Xiaoci's vanity. He put his hands on his hips and said, "Not only that, I also rode in the same carriage as that Miss Luo."
"Brother Deng! You actually saw Miss Luo up close?! You also saw her perform the Thousand Flower Dance?"
"Of course, it's best to see it up close while sitting on the boat; it's especially beautiful!"
A faint longing filled Fang Xunxue's eyes, "Thousand Flower Dance..."
Tianzhu City is a place where flowers bloom all year round. It is definitely the most beautiful place in this vast land of China, where beauties and all things coexist.
If there's another chance, I really want to visit Tianzhu City. Xie Shuci hadn't boasted about riding horses like this in a long time, and he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
As night deepened, the entire Southwest Pass fell silent, except for the constant laughter and chatter that echoed from this inn.
Laughter filled the hall, and the king outside the door, who was diligently practicing his roars, did not stop either.
This night was joyful for some and painful for others.
It wasn't until past midnight that Fang Xunxue suggested they all go back to their rooms to rest.
The soldiers of Songjiu Camp had been clamoring for Xie Shuci to use his spiritual power to wield his sword, but after Fang Xunxue said this, although they were still eager for more, they did not insist any further.
"Brother Deng, it seems there will be no chance tonight. Farewell!"
"Brothers, go back to your rooms and rest. We'll be leaving the pass tomorrow."
Fang Xunxue stood up and slightly bowed to Xie Shuci, "Farewell."
"Goodbye."
Xie Shuci told Xiao Xun to wait a moment, and went out to find the king.
The king was still howling, his voice almost hoarse, but he showed none of the imposing manner that Xing Tie had displayed.
"Ouch...cough cough!"
Xie Shuci stepped forward and rubbed its neck, saying, "That senior has killed enemies on the battlefield, after all. How can you expect to catch up with him overnight?"
The king turned to look at him and yelped.
"Let's go back to sleep, or are you going to stay here with your senior?"
"Aww!"
Baby wants to be with Daddy!
After calling out, the king looked at the lion and tiger lying on the ground, resting with their eyes closed, and roared, "Awooo!"
Lion and Tiger, the baby's gone. I'll come back to ask Lion and Tiger for advice again tomorrow.
However, Xing Tie didn't even open his eyes.
Xie Shuci guessed that the other party was already impatient, so he patted the king to make it shrink, then picked it up and turned to walk back to the inn. When passing the lobby, the king made two gurgling noises by itself. Helpless, Xie Shuci asked the waiter to make something for it to eat separately.
After Xie Shuci left with the king, Xing Tie, who had been dozing with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
It looked at the crescent moon in the sky, its eyes filled with indescribable desolation and sorrow.
It was like the cold moonlight reflected on the calm surface of a lake.
After eating and drinking to its heart's content, the king returned to its room, crawled into the little nest that Xie Shuci had prepared for it, and fell into a deep sleep.
After washing up, Xie Shuci returned to the bedside and found Xiao Xun sitting on the edge of the bed with a deep gaze and a tense face, looking at Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci leaned forward and pinched his cheek. "Are you angry?"
Xiao Xun leaned back slightly, feeling unwell, and frowned, saying, "No."
"Why do you look so glum? Anyone who didn't know better would think someone stole your money," Xie Shuci joked.
Xiao Xun glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Xie Shuci yawned and crawled into bed. "If you don't have anything else to do, you can rest first. I'll take you guys out to play tomorrow."
"I wonder if there are any fun places to visit in the Southwest Pass," Xie Shuci muttered.
Actually, Xie Shuci wasn't sleepy. He had already taken a nap and woke up late, but he was afraid that Xiao Xun would bring up what happened during the day when they were alone together.
Xiao Xun saw him lie down with his back to him, his eyes darkening considerably, and called out, "Xie Shuci."
"Huh? What?" Xie Shuci asked.
“You should know that cultivators cannot interfere in the affairs of ordinary people,” Xiao Xun said.
Xie Shuci paused for a moment, her long eyelashes drooping slightly. "Yes, I know."
As if reminding him, Xiao Xun continued, "If you affect the dragon vein of a country, not only will you be banished by the Heavenly Dao, but the country will also perish." Xie Shuci's fingers, hidden under the covers, tightened, and his throat tightened slightly. "Mm."
After a long pause, Xie Shuci asked in a hoarse voice, "Did you figure it out?"
Xiao Xun leaned against the headboard and gave a barely perceptible "hmm".
"What did you see?" Xie Shuci asked.
"It's less about Qi negotiating peace with Dongli and more about Qi surrendering. It's not that they asked Dongli to withdraw its troops, but that they begged Dongli to withdraw its troops. Since it's a request, they probably already anticipated that the other side would put forward conditions."
"……Um."
Xiao Xun continued, "It sounds like the Songjiu Camp is a cavalry unit of the Qi Kingdom, which has a long history of enmity with Dongli. The fact that the Qi emperor ordered them to come to the Southwest Pass at this critical juncture probably means that he wants to use their lives to exchange for Dongli's withdrawal. Or perhaps, their lives are just one of the conditions."
Xie Shuci's throat tightened; what Xiao Xun said was exactly what Xie Shuci had guessed.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. In any case, it has nothing to do with us."
Xiao Xun lowered her eyes and looked at him quietly, "Mm."
The next day, Xie Shuci got up early and took Xiao Xun and the King for a tour of the city. However, since the great battle had just ended, many shops in the city were not open, and some elegant and profound scenery had become boring due to the lack of people.
Xie Shuci led them around for a while, and after they bought some things, they returned to the inn.
When they returned to the inn's entrance, a group of people from Songjiu Camp who had gone out early that morning had already returned to the inn.
Seeing Xing Tie resting outside the inn, the Great King barked twice to greet Xie Shuci, then trotted over to Xing Tie, transformed into his original form, and began to howl loudly.
Xing Tie glanced at it listlessly, looking utterly dejected.
Xie Shuci ignored them and led Xiao Xun into the inn. There was no one in the lobby, so they must have already gone back to their rooms.
"Sit down over there for a while," Xie Shuci said.
"Um."
As soon as Xie Shuci and his companion sat down, the waiter came over with a smile and asked, "What would you two like to eat?"
Xie Shuci turned to Xiao Xun and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Xiao Xun shook his head.
So Xie Shuci patted the stool next to him and said, "Sit down, I have something to ask you."
There weren't many people in the shop at the moment. The waiter shook out a white handkerchief and draped it over his shoulder before sitting down next to him. He said, "Sir, please feel free to ask. I will answer all your questions to the best of my ability."
Xie Shuci sat up straight and glanced upstairs. Seeing that Song Jiuying was not there, he lowered his voice and asked, "What are the conditions for Dongli's withdrawal?"
The waiter shrugged and said, "It's nothing more than ceding cities and land and paying silver. For our Qi Kingdom, this is already a relatively good result. If the two countries continue to fight, it's hard to say who will win or lose, but the people of Qi will definitely starve to death. Our Qi Kingdom is not like Dongli, which has a major trading city."
Xie Shuci said, "Is there still no concrete news?"
"No, it's probably not far off. Anyway, the emperor is far away, so as long as there's no war, it's a good thing for us ordinary people."
Xie Shuci sighed and nodded, then asked, "Then tell me about Songjiuying?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, I saw you talking with them until late last night. You must have gotten along very well, right?"
"Yes, we get along quite well."
"Those guys, though they seem unreliable, have quelled almost all the border wars in recent years. All the young men from the capital are desperate to join the Songjiu Camp, but unfortunately, the chief won't take anyone else; the Songjiu Camp is full of those old bandits. However, they're quite capable leaders, and in recent years they've trained many elite soldiers for the court." The waiter's eyes were full of admiration as he spoke.
"Moreover, they were bandits who ran rampant in the capital, committing numerous atrocities. They destroyed countless things in fights, ate countless meals without paying, and would snatch whatever they liked before paying. I heard that for six months straight, court officials impeached the Songjiu Battalion every day, but the leader just ignored it and went back to ignore these bandit soldiers. The emperor always turned a blind eye to them and never severely punished them."
The waiter smiled and said, "Actually, everyone knows that in recent years, whenever outsiders have invaded the borders of Qi, no matter how far away they are or how dangerous the location is, they are like bandits, unafraid of death, filth, or fatigue."
Xie Shuci felt a pang of amusement, yet also a deep sense of regret.
"Oh right, I remember it was the year before last, right? The third leader of Songjiu Camp kidnapped a scholar who wrote storybooks and forced him to tell him about cultivation every day at his mansion. It turned out that this person was the emperor's younger brother who was traveling! That was the most favored little prince! The emperor was so angry that he almost fainted, but he didn't do anything to him. He just deducted his salary for a year and punished him by making him serve tea and water to the little prince for a year."
Xie Shuci couldn't help but chuckle; this group of people was truly fascinating.
At this point, the waiter sighed and said, "To be honest, if it weren't for the bandits of Songjiu Camp, Qi would have been conquered by Dongli long ago. They brought out many elite soldiers and generals for Qi, and their own strength is very formidable. They haven't left Shangjing for almost half a year, staying there specifically to protect the Emperor. I don't know why the Emperor sent them to the Southwest Pass at this critical juncture."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci fell silent, and the smile on his lips gradually faded.
The waiter stood up and said, "Sir, please rest first. If you need anything, just let me know."
Xie Shuci nodded. "Thank you."
After the waiter left, the lobby became quiet.
Xie Shuci rested his chin on his hands on the table and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The sound of horses' hooves suddenly echoed through the long street, like the incessant beating of a drum, gradually becoming more rapid and disrupting Xie Shuci's breathing.
The sound of hooves abruptly stopped at the inn's entrance. A general in golden armor dismounted, holding aloft a section of a yellow scroll in his right hand. His breathing was heavy. He strode into the inn and shouted:
"Imperial edict arrives—"
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