Xiao Xun recounted his childhood experiences in a rather unremarkable tone.
It was as if he were telling a story that had nothing to do with him, without any emotion, but this was exactly what happened to him.
Before meeting Xie Shuci, his emotional deficiencies left him without empathy for anyone.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.
In Xiao Xun's eyes, everything in the world was like an ant. Until he met Xie Shuci, he realized that what he saw as an ant might be what others saw as "Xie Shuci".
The father used his own life to awaken Xiao Xun's indifference towards all things in the world.
The mission imposed on him by the world was completely shed by Xiao Xun at that moment.
These people deserve to die; these people don't deserve to be saved.
You want him to become the Way of Heaven, but he deliberately does the opposite.
Xie Shuci couldn't imagine how he should have faced his father's death, nor could he imagine what his expression would have been if he watched the person his father had risked his life to save die at the hands of a ferocious beast because of his own greed.
Xiao Xun turned his head and looked at Xie Shuci in silence.
Xie Shuci's eyes were filled with a soft, tender light.
"Xie Shuci, they are different from the people I have met. They are worth the Songjiu Battalion risking their lives for. There is no need to feel sorry for them," Xiao Xun said calmly.
Xie Shuci only then realized that Xiao Xun had told so many stories about his childhood just to comfort Xie Shuci in his own way.
Although it was his past, for Xiao Xun it was a past that represented shame.
Xie Shuci grasped his hand back, her expression complex. "I don't feel sorry for them; I just admire them for their courage to face death."
He seemed to still hold a sliver of hope as he looked at Xiao Xun and asked, "If... I mean, if I died, would you come looking for my reincarnation?"
Xiao Xun's gaze was deep as he looked at Xie Shuci's hopeful eyes. His lips gradually tightened into a straight line. "You won't die. I won't let you die."
"What if?"
Xiao Xun's expression turned cold. "There are no 'what ifs.' You won't die."
Xie Shuci looked stunned and quickly lowered his head. "I was just asking, I didn't mean anything by it."
Xiao Xun stared straight at him, his tone somewhat gloomy, "You're not allowed to have any other intentions."
Xie Shuci waved his hands twice, "I know, I know."
After resting in the room for a while, Xie Shuci prepared to go downstairs to carry the king up.
Perhaps because of that imperial edict, the entire inn was completely silent. Xie Shuci came to the lobby and saw Fang Xunxue, dressed in purple, leaning against the door frame with a soft and boneless demeanor, quietly watching Xing Tie and the King outside the inn.
Watching his slender back, Xie Shuci paused slightly. Actually, he was unsure how to face Fang Xunxue, because he was a man about to die, and perhaps in a month he would share the same fate. Looking at him was like looking at his own near future.
Xie Shuci hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should go back to his room for a while before coming down again, but Fang Xunxue had already turned around and was looking at him with a smile in her eyes.
"Young Master," Fang Xunxue called out.
Now that she had been seen, Xie Shuci could not simply walk away, so she lowered her head and slowly walked to his side.
As he approached, Fang Xunxue slowly withdrew her gaze and looked towards the door.
"I'm sorry you had to see this," Fang Xunxue said.
Xie Shuci remained silent and shook his head.
Fang Xunxue smiled, then looked at Xie Shuci and said, "Young Master, Dongli will withdraw its troops tomorrow. Why don't you come out of the pass with us?"
Xie Shuci's heart tightened, and his throat went dry. He wanted to refuse, but faced with Fang Xunxue's gentle gaze, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
After a long pause, Xie Shuci nodded slightly, "...Okay."
Fang Xunxue asked with some confusion, "Is Young Master in a bad mood?"
"No." Xie Shuci glanced at him. From the moment he received the imperial edict, Fang Xunxue had been unusually calm, while Xie Shuci, an outsider, seemed much more somber.
Fang Xunxue chuckled, "Young Master, you're not suited to lying."
Their faces practically screamed the answer.
"Something on your mind?"
"……Um."
"Why don't you tell me? Anyway, I'm a dying man, and I'll take your words to my grave."
Xie Shuci couldn't help but look at his face again and asked, "Aren't you scared at all?"
Although Xie Shuci felt he was ready to face death, the fear of death deep in his heart did not disappear immediately. His heart would occasionally feel empty for a moment, especially after hearing Xie An say those words.
Fang Xunxue's gaze gradually lengthened, and her expression deepened. "It's not that I'm afraid of death, but I don't want to die."
Xie Shuci was taken aback.
Seeing Xie Shuci's stunned expression, Fang Xunxue smiled and said, "Didn't expect that? I probably look like I have nothing to lose."
Xie Shuci was a little embarrassed. Fang Xunxue looked like a mysterious and unfathomable person. He thought that such a person did not care about life and death. It turned out that he was just like Xie Shuci. Even though he was prepared to die, he still wanted to live deep down.
"Hmm, I thought you were like a chivalrous knight, the kind who comes and goes like the wind," Xie Shuci said.
Fang Xunxue shook her head and said, "I like to live with warmth. There are still many places I haven't been to and many things I haven't seen. I bought a fine piece of jade brocade in the capital, but I haven't had time to make it into clothes yet. The Luoyu Pavilion in the capital has released some new hairpins, but I haven't had time to buy them yet."
In the end, he sighed and said, "I haven't met anyone I'm compatible with yet."
At this moment, he seemed to have gained a touch of everyday life, just like an ordinary person.
A faint sense of despondency filled his eyes.
After a moment, he smiled again and said, "No, that's not right either. There should be someone who is compatible with me, but he is destined not to be mine."
Xie Shuci looked at him in surprise and asked curiously, "Who is he? Aren't you two in love? Why can't he be yours?"
Fang Xunxue smiled, having previously been reluctant to discuss this matter with others. Perhaps it was because Xie Shuci made it too easy for people to open up, or perhaps it was because if he didn't speak up now, he would never have the chance again. He laughed and said, "Why do you think the Songjiu Camp has been unpunished for causing trouble so recklessly in the capital?"
Xie Shuci opened his mouth wide in surprise, "Could it be...the Emperor?"
Fang Xunxue lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, giving a soft "Mmm".
"Then he still..."
Xie Shuci didn't finish his sentence, but Fang Xunxue understood what he meant.
He took Xie Shuci's hand, slowly walked to the table and sat down, poured each of them a cup of tea, his eyes filled with a warm light, and said, "It's not his fault, I forced him to issue this imperial edict."
Xie Shuci was even more dumbfounded, "You forced him?"
Fang Xunxue said, "He is the emperor, and I am his subject. Sacrificing a few of us to protect the entire Qi Kingdom is already a huge advantage for us. He is younger than me and is quite good at governing the country and ensuring the people's well-being, but he is too indecisive when it comes to matters of the heart."
As if remembering something, Fang Xunxue suddenly smiled, a hint of tenderness appearing in her eyes, "He's actually not my type. I prefer a clean-cut young gentleman like you, but he..."
Even so, when Fang Xunxue mentioned this person, his eyes shone brightly, unlike his usual self.
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "I understand."
He initially thought he liked sweet and gentle girls, but he ended up falling for a man, and he was head over heels in love with him.
“At first, in my eyes, he was just a clever little boy. But one day he suddenly grew up and bought me the pearl hairpins and hair ornaments I liked, as well as fine clothes and brocade. He would give me whatever I wanted and even insisted on making me his empress.” When talking about these things, Fang Xunxue had a sweet smile on her face.
"I didn't use the ten male concubines he gave me as test subjects; he just made up some excuse to take them back."
Xie Shuci was stunned. To die for the person he loved and for his country, even if he was reluctant, was something he was willing to do.
"I'll tell you a secret," Fang Xunxue suddenly said.
Xie Shuci blinked curiously, "What?"
"I have never told any other person this secret."
Xie Shuci lowered his upper body slightly, "I promise, I will absolutely, absolutely not tell anyone else."
Fang Xunxue said, "He always says that I like too many people and that I'm too promiscuous, but he doesn't know that I once obtained a demon's inner core. As long as I consume the inner core, I can become a cultivator."
Xie Shuci was speechless. "A demon's inner core?"
"Yes, it was discovered by Xing Tie by chance."
"Don't you like spiritual power? Haven't you taken a demon's inner core?"
Fang Xunxue shook her head and said with a smile, "If I become a cultivator, I won't be able to stay in Qi Kingdom any longer."
Xie Shuci stared at him blankly, "You..."
Fang Xunxue smiled. "Didn't expect that, did he? He didn't expect it either, and neither did I...."
Xie Shuci was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Now that I've told you my secret, shouldn't you also tell me your real name?" Fang Xunxue suddenly said with a smile.
"Huh?" Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "How do you know my name isn't real?"
"Do I look like someone who's easy to fool? The last few times I called you Young Master Deng, you didn't react at all."
"Oh..." Xie Shuci smiled awkwardly, "Then let me tell you, don't be afraid, I absolutely did not mean to hurt you."
Fang Xunxue chuckled and said, "I believe you."
Xie Shuci lowered his voice and said, "Actually, I am the person that Xiaoyao Sect wants to arrest. My name is Xie Shuci."
Fang Xunxue asked in surprise, "Are you Xie Shuci? But I've heard that Xie Shuci is extremely ugly and a heinous criminal."
Xie Shuci shrugged helplessly and said, "I suspect they're just jealous of my beauty, and besides, I don't even dare to kill a chick or duckling normally."
Fang Xunxue opened her eyes wide in bewilderment, a hint of naivety in them, "Didn't you kill the disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect?"
Xie Shuci's gaze fell, "The person I like almost died by his sword. If I don't kill him, he will kill us."
Fang Xunxue suddenly remembered something, "Then the people around you..."
Xie Shuci glanced at him but didn't say anything, and Fang Xunxue didn't ask any further questions.
Although he trusted Xie Shuci, Xie Shuci's affairs were too far-reaching, and he shouldn't know too much about them.
After sitting with Fang Xunxue in the lobby for half an hour, Xiao Xun came down from upstairs with a dark face. Xie Shuci didn't linger and hurriedly said goodbye before shouting at the top of his lungs to return to his room.
The little king was very clingy, rubbing against Xing Tie again and again, and making several noises, probably asking its master to continue teaching it tomorrow. Xing Tie didn't pay much attention to it at all.
Xie Shuci pulled the king back to his room. They didn't have much luggage to pack, and they could set off early the next morning.
At night, the inn's lobby was bustling with noise. The leaders of Songjiu Camp were drinking, eating, and chatting happily, just like the night before, showing no sign of sadness. It was as if they were just going on a long trip tomorrow and would be back.
Fang Xunxue sent someone up to invite Xie Shuci to join them, but Xie Shuci, being an impatient person, was afraid that if they didn't react much, he, as an outsider, would feel reluctant to part and spoil their atmosphere, so he declined.
The little king, unaware of what had happened, greeted Xie Shuci and then scurried downstairs to guard his cheap master, barking and howling.
Xie Shuci stood by the window and looked down. Xing Tie seemed to have given the king a few pointers, and the king happily went up and rubbed its neck against him.
After using his shameless, adorable, and cute tactics, the little simp won over the heart of a cold and aloof senior.
Xing Tie is Fang Xunxue's mount, and he is famous for fighting alongside her. Dongli Kingdom probably won't let it go either.
Since the Qi emperor did not pursue the matter of Fang Xunxue expelling everyone except the nine leaders from Songjiu Camp, it was probably because the terms of the peace talks with Dongli were only the lives of the nine leaders of Songjiu Camp and this number one ferocious beast.
How should I tell the king then?
Xie Shuci sighed.
If this had happened before today, Xie Shuci would probably have advised the king to cut his losses in time and keep Xing Tie by his side before he could develop a deep emotional bond with him.
Xie Shuci did not do that. He did not want the king to be stripped of all his wildness and become a little lapdog who could be ordered around by others if he stayed by his side.
That night, the Songjiu Camp members drank until dawn. Xie Shuci didn't rest either. He leaned against the window, looking at the rising sun in the distance, lost in thought.
The king was exhausted from shouting last night, and for the first time, he did not return to Xie Shuci's side. Instead, he nestled beside Senior Xing Tie and fell into a deep sleep.
The entire Southwest Pass was eerily quiet, yet it was brightly lit all night long.
The lively discussions inside the inn gradually subsided as dawn broke.
Standing behind Xie Shuci, Xiao Xun looked at his stunned expression and asked, "Do you want to help them?"
Xie Shuci was stunned, not understanding why he would say such a thing. He slowly turned his head and looked at Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun also looked at him.
Xie Shuci shook her head slightly and said, "I don't want to help them."
This was Fang Xunxue and Song Jiuying's own choice; they were willing to die for it and it was a worthy death.
Xie Shuci asked Xiao Xun to sit in the room for a while, and then went downstairs to carry the king back.
The candlelight flickered in the lobby, and leftover food and broken bowls were scattered everywhere, like the desolation and loneliness left behind after a grand banquet when the guests had left.
The others lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, their breathing rising and falling like the sounds of people returning home after a banquet.
Fang Xunxue sat alone by the window, still wearing the same light purple gauze dress from yesterday. Her gaze was calm as she looked out the window, with a hint of confusion and bewilderment between her brows.
Perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's gaze, he turned his head to look at him, his almond-shaped eyes reflecting the hazy sunlight, outlining a faint smile, as if full of affection, and said with a smile: "Young master, please wait a moment and let them sleep a little longer."
Xie Shuci felt as if someone had grabbed his heart, and his throat felt extremely dry.
If he hadn't known Fang Xunxue before, upon hearing this, he probably would have just sighed inwardly and then forgotten about it. But he had met Fang Xunxue, and the others in Songjiu Camp—these living, breathing people who could laugh, talk, and have warmth, so lifelike, yet perhaps soon their lives would be gone.
Xie Shuci had always felt that he had lost his reverence for life after experiencing so much and witnessing so many life-and-death situations. But at this moment, Xie Shuci clearly realized that he had not.
He still felt regret and respect for these vibrant lives.
Xie Shuci opened his lips as if he wanted to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he also felt a sense of suffocation in his heart.
It is impossible to judge good or bad, right or wrong.
The Eastern Kingdom agreed to withdraw its troops, exchanging the lives of these nine people for the stability of both countries. Was that wrong?
That's right.
In fact, this decision was undoubtedly wise.
Xie Shuci silently walked to the King's side and saw the King fast asleep on Xing Tie's belly, drooling. The King was completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Xie Shuci's eyes were a little sore. He bent down and gently placed his hand on Xing Tie's belly. Xing Tie lowered its head and looked at Xie Shuci with eyes as calm as its owner's.
"Thank you," Xie Shuci said.
He lifted the king off its back.
Xing Tie propped himself up, lowered his head and licked the fur on the king's back, as if he were grooming his own child, a hint of affection showing in his usually calm eyes.
At that moment, Xie Shuci seemed to remember something and, as if possessed, placed his hand on Xing Tie's body, a wisp of spiritual energy flowing into its body from his palm.
Fang Xunxue once said that Xing Tie discovered a monster's inner core... and it also discovered the king's identity... If it were an ordinary ferocious beast, it would be impossible for it to do these two things so easily!
When Xie Shuci sensed the disordered spiritual energy within Xing Tie's body, his heart was touched, and his eyes reddened almost instantly.
Xing Tie wasn't without an inner core... it... destroyed its inner core...
……Why?
Because once you cultivate the inner elixir, you will have to leave your master and the State of Qi, right?
Xing Tie used his tongue to groom the king's back fur, then quietly lay back down on the ground, waiting for the sun to rise completely above the horizon.
After sitting in the room for less than an hour, Fang Xunxue sent someone to find Xie Shuci and tell him that it was time to leave.
The waiter led the crane and carriage out from the backyard. Xie Shuci woke the king up. The king groggily raised his head from his arms, looked at his father, then at the Songjiu Camp members who were all ready to go, and Xing Tie who was standing quietly next to Fang Xunxue. He tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh?"
Do you want the lion and tiger to come with us? Great! It's perfect since the baby hasn't learned how to call out in a more imposing way yet.
Chen Shi (7-9 AM) should be the busiest time of the day.
The streets should be bustling with people, but today, the Southwest Pass is unusually quiet.
The winter wind blowing through the deserted streets inevitably made the place seem much more desolate.
Fang Xunxue, draped in a cloak, swung herself onto the back of a wolf, followed by the eight leaders who each mounted their horses. Xie Shuci's carriage lagged behind. Under the tearful gaze of the waiter, the group marched proudly toward the last gate of the Southwest Pass.
"Have you all had enough to drink?" Fang Xunxue asked from the front.
"I've had enough!"
"Have you eaten enough?"
"I've had enough!"
Have you had enough sleep?
"I've had enough sleep!"
“Then we…” Fang Xunxue’s voice paused for a moment, then when she spoke again, her voice was firm and steady: “…It’s time to get going!”
"Time to hit the road!"
The team ahead, consisting of only nine people, was vast and imposing, rivaling even a million-strong army.
The Songjiu Camp, which had dozens of men when they arrived, now has only nine men left, but their morale remains undiminished.
The king pulled the carriage alongside the crane, who looked blankly at the nine people in front of him, wondering what they were talking about.
The sound of horses' hooves thundered through the empty streets.
The people of Southwest Pass seemed to have an unspoken agreement; not a single person appeared on the streets to bid them farewell.
They probably knew that these despicable bandits didn't want to see their tears, nor did they want to be surrounded by them.
"Third brother, do you think that young prince will miss you in the future? The other day when we went out, I even saw him secretly hiding behind the city gate and shedding tears." A burly man with a sword at his side teased.
Xie Shuci still remembered that the third leader of Songjiu Camp kidnapped a young prince and brought him home to be his storyteller, and was even punished by the emperor.
"He's hoping I'll die."
Xie Shuci lifted the curtain, revealing a robust, angular man who spoke.
The group of people seemed oblivious to what awaited them ahead, continuing to chat and laugh.
Finally, someone started singing a catchy tune. Xie Shuci listened carefully and found that it was all about the private affairs of men and women in bed, just like a bunch of lecherous men.
They played music the whole way out of the market.
Amidst the lewd and obscene singing, Xie Shuci heard faint cries of anguish coming from the street behind him.
The cold wind blew their robes, and as they hummed a little tune in the morning sun, they approached the last city gate of the Southwest Pass step by step.
Outside the city gates stood countless mighty armies from the East, who had been waiting for a long time.
"stop."
Upon reaching the city gate, Fang Xunxue, who was at the forefront, raised her hand to stop the group.
He spurred Xing Tie to turn around and walk to Xie Shuci's carriage.
The king sensed something and stomped its feet nervously. Its eyes were glistening with tears. When Xing Tie and Fang Xunxue approached, it immediately went to Xing Tie's side and rubbed its head against Xing Tie's neck nervously.
"Aww!"
Lions and tigers...
Xing Tie responded with a sound, and the king's tears immediately fell.
Fang Xunxue looked at Xie Shuci and said softly, "Young Master, this is the Southwest Pass. It is the last pass in the southwest of the Great Qi. Please wait here with the young master for a moment. You can leave directly after Dongli withdraws its troops."
Xie Shuci glanced at him. "Okay, thank you."
Fang Xunxue nodded, then smiled at Xie Shuci and said, "Shuci, I never expected to get to know you in the end. I feel both lucky and regretful, but I feel mostly lucky."
Xie Shuci forced a smile, "It's not a pity, not at all."
Fang Xunxue chuckled and said, "I heard that your experiences will be recorded in a book of strange tales, which will be circulated among everyone in the Nine Provinces. Will this particular experience be recorded?"
Xie Shuci felt a tightness in his chest. "I promise you, I definitely will."
"Very good."
Fang Xunxue turned around, looked at the eight people in front of her, and shouted loudly, "Everyone, grab your weapons, it's time for us to get going!"
"yes!"
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then leaned forward and grabbed his arm. "Are you still going to resist?"
Fang Xunxue turned around and smiled, her eyes like the first snow melting, "Yes, since death is inevitable anyway, then we should die on the territory of Qi."
His calm words stirred up the turmoil within Xie Shuci like a storm. He stared into Fang Xunxue's eyes and felt a tremor emanating from the depths of her soul.
Xie Shuci could not describe the shock this sentence brought him.
He released Fang Xunxue's hand, his body swayed for a moment, and he almost fell off the carriage. Xiao Xun behind him quickly grabbed his arm and brought him back into the carriage.
"Gentlemen, it's time to leave the pass."
"Grandson, Grandpa's here!"
The city gates opened slowly to both sides with a heavy thud.
The sound of horses' hooves galloped away, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.
"Boom!"
Atop the high wall, a thunderous drumbeat shattered the heavens.
Xie Shuci looked up and saw dozens of soldiers beating war drums on the city wall. As the figures of the Songjiu Battalion receded into the distance, they composed a high-spirited and tragic melody.
From a distance, it sounds like a melody for breaking through enemy lines.
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