Recruiting soldiers and buying horses
As soon as Ji Wang entered the house, he took off his dirty and tattered outer robe.
He glanced at the neatly made bed, which Bu Jiu had prepared, but felt too embarrassed to lie down directly. Instead, he walked to the desk by the window, slumped his upper body onto the cool surface with a sigh, and pressed his cheek against the table.
"After a long and eventful day... I just want to settle down and live a peaceful life with you..."
Like any ordinary family, they worry about three meals a day, tidy up the house, perhaps discipline a disobedient dog, and then snuggle up and sleep on the familiar bed.
Bu Jiu was washing his hands in the basin with his back to him. Upon hearing this, he did not stop, but carefully dried each finger with a cloth until there was no water left.
He draped the cloth over himself, turned around, walked to the table, and looked down at Ji Wang, who was lying there.
Bu Jiu sat down and reached out to brush away the stray hairs that were damp with sweat from Ji Wang's forehead: "I know a place where we can live in seclusion. After we've settled these matters and made arrangements here, I'll take you there."
He knew what Ji Wang wanted, and he was willing to give it to him, but before that, they had to win the right to survival and peace.
Ji Wang turned his face away from his arms, blinked, and suddenly asked a somewhat abrupt question: "Then, in my second life, will I be good to you?"
He had recalled most of his memories as the Cloud Recesses Daoist, but he knew almost nothing about the time between his death in his first life and his awakening in this life.
He only occasionally wondered if Bu Jiu had ever found him in those years he couldn't remember, and whether they had ever met.
Bu Jiu seemed to be recalling something, or perhaps he was considering how to describe it.
At that time, a charcoal brazier was burning inside the room, and the boy, wrapped in a thick velvet blanket, sat curled up in a chair near the brazier.
His lips were pale, and his breathing was much shallower than usual. Only his eyes, gazing out the window, remained clear, reflecting the snow.
Bu Jiu sat beside him, his gaze always unconsciously falling on the slender figure next to him.
The boy looked at the snow for a while, then suddenly coughed softly, his voice suppressed and weak.
Bu Jiu twitched his fingertips, but did not get up. Instead, he quietly sent a gentler stream of demonic energy into the charcoal brazier, allowing the warmth to spread more evenly.
"I'm sorry." The boy's voice was soft, weak and breathy from a long illness. "Even now, I still can't remember what happened before. What you said... it sounds familiar to me, but it's like looking through a thick fog, I can't see it clearly."
The "things that happened before" he was referring to were the scattered fragments about Yun Shen Dao Zun that Bu Jiu occasionally mentioned.
Bu Jiu's voice was gentler than usual: "It's alright."
"Let's wait for spring," the boy said softly, as if giving himself a glimmer of hope. "When spring comes and the weather warms up, I should feel better... Then I'll take you out to see the world, we don't need to go far, just to see the flowers and listen to the birds..."
Bu Jiu looked at his profile, which was slightly illuminated by the charcoal fire, and replied, "Okay."
He thought that when spring came and the ice and snow melted, even if it could only last one more season, he could take him to the nearest peach grove. If he couldn't walk, he could carry him on his back.
The boy received an affirmative answer, pursed his lips contentedly, wrapped the blanket around himself tighter, slowly tilted his head to one side, leaned against the back of the chair, and his breathing gradually became long and even.
He was becoming increasingly weak and was sleeping for longer and longer periods each day.
Bu Jiu then carefully adjusted the cushion he was leaning against, tucked in the corner of the blanket that had slipped off, and looked out the window again.
Bu Jiu spoke, as if recounting a trivial matter from long ago: "When we found you, you were very weak, a condition you were born with. The doctor said you wouldn't live past twenty, and even Huai Qing couldn't save your life."
“You didn’t remember your past life back then, but you were inexplicably close to me.” His hand slid down, his fingertips lightly brushing against Ji Wang’s lips. “You didn’t have a chance to express your feelings to me.”
Ji Wang opened his mouth, thinking of asking for more details, wanting to know what he was like back then, what he said, and how Bu Jiu reacted... but looking at Bu Jiu's face, he swallowed those questions back.
He lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with annoyance, and muttered the next words: "Then I have to clean up this mess quickly, I can't keep you waiting any longer."
"What do you want?" Bu Jiu didn't rush to express his opinion, but instead handed the decision over to Ji Wang.
“I need more manpower.” Ji Wang tapped his fingers on his knee, his thoughts shifting from the warmth of the moment to reality. “Relying solely on our own people is barely enough to defend our home. It’s far from sufficient for us to take the initiative to do something.”
Bu Jiu replied calmly, "Then I'll give it a try."
Ji Wang was lost in his own thoughts when he heard this and looked up: "You?"
He seemed not to understand, or perhaps he understood but found it unbelievable: "With your identity, why don't you try going to them? You're a demon, they are—"
Bu Jiu gave the same look: "You were looking at those random sketchbooks again?"
Ji Wang was momentarily speechless, then whispered in defense, "...Not entirely."
"Although I am a demon, I have served by the side of Daoist Yun Shen, and I have never done anything that harms heaven or reason." Bu Jiu's voice was frank and open. "Moreover, I was also involved in protecting the great formation three hundred years ago. How can right and wrong, merit and demerit, be simply divided according to race?"
Seeing that Ji Wang was relieved, he continued, "Moreover, I had some connections with the founders of several righteous sects back then. It wouldn't be difficult for them to send some capable and reliable juniors to discuss important matters."
Ji Wang then realized that his understanding of Bu Jiu might still be limited to "a powerful ghost king rejected by the world," while he had overlooked the experience and connections that Bu Jiu had accumulated over the long years, which far exceeded his imagination.
Bu Jiu was not an outsider in the great war three hundred years ago, and his familiarity with some righteous predecessors was clearly not just a simple nodding acquaintance.
“You…” Ji Wang’s eyes slowly brightened, but then he hesitated, “But, three hundred years have passed, those people…”
"Schools with a clear lineage still recognize the teachings of their founders and the old friendships they share."
Bu Jiu seemed to know what he was worried about: "Even if things have changed, as long as you bring the old tokens, it will be enough to make them take it seriously and send someone to investigate. As for whether they will trust you after they arrive and how to cooperate, that is something you need to consider."
As he spoke, he suddenly became serious: "This method can temporarily relieve your worries about the shortage of manpower, and it can also test the attitude of the outside world. However, it will also place the existence of Bu Nian Guan and you under the sight of certain people sooner. There are both advantages and disadvantages. You are the sect leader, so it is up to you to decide."
Ji Wang quickly weighed the options.
Bu Jiu's proposal is undoubtedly a shortcut, which can quickly bring in foreign aid with certain strength, and also take this opportunity to observe the current attitudes of the various righteous factions.
"Let's do it!" Ji Wang slapped his knee. "It's faster than us developing in isolation! Let's invite people over first, have a chat, and see what they're made of! Besides..." He looked at Bu Jiu, a smile playing on his lips, "With you and me here, there's nothing we can't accomplish."
Seeing his renewed confidence, Bu Jiu nodded: "Okay. I will consider the candidate and the method of communication later... You need to inform the people of Bu Nian Guan. They have the right to know about today's events before deciding whether to stay."
"Understood!" Ji Wang nodded vigorously, then couldn't resist his curiosity and leaned closer, "Hey, which patriarchs are you familiar with? Tell me about it?"
Bu Jiu glanced at him, reached for the ink, and clearly did not intend to satisfy his curiosity: "It's all old news, there's no point in bringing it up. You'll know when they arrive."
Ji Wang pursed his lips, but felt much more at ease.
The ink stick spun evenly between Bu Jiu's fingers, rubbing against the inkstone and producing a soft, steady rustling sound.
He took a blank sheet of paper, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink.
Ji Wang patiently craned his neck to get a closer look. He had expected to see a well-written document, at least specifying the time, place, or code, but Bu Jiu wrote swiftly, producing only three words on the paper:
"Come here. It's important."
There was no signature, no title, not even a proper mark.
Ji Wang was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "...That's it?"
He pointed to the overly concise note: "Just these three words? Can this be called a letter? What's the difference between this and shouting on the street? Does anyone know who wrote it? Where it's going? What it's about?"
Bu Jiu had already put down his pen, picked up a piece of paper, gently blew on the still-wet ink, glanced at Ji Wang, and a hint of "what do you know?" flashed in his eyes.
“They naturally know who it is.” He spoke calmly, his fingertip lightly touching the character “come,” a trace of his demonic power quietly merging into the ink mark, formless and intangible. “Where to come will be guided. As for what to do, the word ‘important matter’ is enough. If they lack even this much trust and insight, then there’s no need for them to come.”
Ji Wang looked at the three powerful characters that seemed to penetrate the paper, and then at Bu Jiu's "it should be this way" expression. Suddenly, he realized that this message was probably not meant for ordinary disciples or intermediaries, but was directed at the core figures in the sect who were truly in charge.
“Alright, the secret codes between you big shots are really…” Ji Wang rubbed his nose and muttered, but ultimately swallowed back the words “pretending to be mysterious”, “…really efficient.”
Bu Jiu carefully folded the paper, and a flash of light appeared at his fingertips. The paper then folded and shrank, transforming into an inconspicuous, faintly glowing talisman bird, which lay quietly in his palm.
"Going southeast, you will find the person you are meant to meet." Bu Jiu explained, then raised his hand, and the talisman bird transformed into a stream of light and flew out of the window.
As Ji Wang looked in the direction where the talisman bird disappeared, the unease in his heart suddenly subsided.
Ji Wang stretched, feeling the burden on his shoulders lighten a little: "Now, let's just wait and see what reinforcements we can get."
Bu Jiu hummed in agreement, washed and hung up the pen, then turned to look at him: "Before that, heal your injuries and reinforce the valley's defenses. When guests come, there needs to be a decent place for them to stay."
"Okay, okay!" Ji Wang replied with a grin, leaning over to tug at Bu Jiu's sleeve. "Come on, let's go change your dusty clothes first, then come with me to meet our fellow disciples!"
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