Chapter 190: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Part 30) [Two-in-One]
"Meow~~~Meow~~~"
The kitten, Su Shang, affectionately rubbed against Chu Yao's fingers, using its cuteness to beg for some food from him. If Chu Yao refused, it would stare at him with its innocent, watery eyes. Chu Yao tried to harden his heart several times but failed, reluctantly taking out the dry food.
"They say 'things resemble their owners,' and you're definitely more likable than that Qi Yuanliang," Chu Yao muttered under his breath. Su Shang couldn't understand human language anyway. All it knew was that after it was full, it needed to find a comfortable place to curl up, preferably with its human scratching it.
It meowed and jumped into Chu Yao's arms, showing its belly.
Chu Yao: "..."
He genuinely dislikes cats.
Just then, Gong Shuwu returned, and he handed over this troublesome fellow. Gong Shuwu accepted it patiently, saying, "Tonight is likely to be turbulent. Sir, would you like to rest for a while and recharge? We can wake you if anything happens."
Chu Yao: "That's fine too."
His second attempt at cultivating his literary mind was still unstable.
His literary aura was sometimes leaking out, and his condition was very unstable. He needed a lot of time to recuperate and adjust, and only when he was fully rested could he better exert his strength. Since Gong Shuwu said this, he readily agreed.
The two settled in an abandoned house near the east gate of the city wall.
This place is deserted and close to the front line.
Chu Yao found a spot to lean against and soon began to snore softly. Su Shang didn't like the smell of sweat on Gong Shuwu's body, and she was restless even when he was holding her, meowing pitifully and trying to crawl out by grabbing his sleeve with her paws.
Hearing Chu Yao's breathing stabilize, Gong Shuwu coaxed Su Shang in a low voice, "Su Shang, be good, be quiet, don't disturb the master's sleep."
Su Shang, undeterred, struggled relentlessly to escape the embrace of its large, powerful owner. Gong Shuwu, however, dared not let it run away.
If it gets lost, where can I find an identical one to give to Qishan?
The two, one human and one cat, remained locked in a stalemate for fifteen minutes.
In the end, Su Shang was defeated due to lack of physical strength.
Nestled in Gong Shuwu's arms, it stretched lazily and yawned. Its eyelids drooped as if filled with lead. It patted the firm muscles of his arm with its front paws, then finally tilted its head, closed its eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. Gong Shuwu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No wonder it's Mr. Qi's cat; it's just like him.
Just as difficult to deal with as Mr. Qi.
With no one around, Gong Shuwu closed his eyes to rest.
But before long, he keenly noticed that the surrounding天地气 (heaven and earth energy) had changed from orderly to chaotic and violent, yet within this chaos, a certain order still prevailed. Gong Shuwu abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the source of the strange天地气—Chu Wuhui!
Could it be that he has gone mad from practicing qi cultivation?
He strode forward, hesitating whether to wake Chu Yao, and noticed that Chu Yao's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, which trickled down his temples, down his cheeks and chin. His long eyebrows were tightly furrowed, leaving deep creases between them.
At first glance, it looks like being trapped in some terrifying nightmare.
Gong Shuwu raised his hand and gently nudged Chu Yao's shoulder, softly calling, "Sir! Sir! Wake up, sir, wake up... How could this be?"
It shook several times in a row.
For light sleepers, it's enough to wake them up.
It was unclear whether Chu Yao was trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn't escape, as he showed no signs of waking up. Gong Shuwu, worried something might be wrong, placed his fingers on Chu Yao's wrist and sent a wisp of gentle martial energy into his meridians. The moment it made contact, it was forcefully repelled.
Gong Shuwu: "!!!"
What should I do?
The two children were not found, and Chu Yao also ran into trouble.
Heaven seemed to hear his inner cry. Chu Yao's thick eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes weakly, his gaze taking a while to refocus. Gong Shuwu noticed immediately and stepped forward with concern, saying, "Sir—you've finally woken up!"
Chu Yao seemed still immersed in the afterglow of the nightmare, unable to recover. After a few breaths, his senses gradually returned, and he suddenly jolted awake. Looking up and seeing his surroundings, he asked Gong Shuwu, "Half-step, how long have I been asleep? Have the rebels at the city gate made any move?"
"For half an hour, the rebels still made no move."
Chu Yao suddenly stood up, muttering something that Gong Shuwu couldn't understand, but the syllables sounded like the dialect of the Chu Kingdom.
What kind of nightmare could it be that made you speak in your dialect?
Gong Shuwu harbored doubts.
"Did you have a nightmare just now, sir?"
Chu Yao shook his head: "It's not a nightmare."
Gong Shuwu thought it was a trivial matter and did not pursue the matter further.
To everyone's surprise, Chu Yao added, "It's 'a glimmer of hope after a long period of uncertainty'."
Several question marks appeared on Gong Shuwu's face.
What does "a glimmer of hope after despair" mean?
Chu Yao: "That's my scholar's way—'a glimmer of hope after a long and winding road'—the way of the scholar. This scholar's way should only be used in dire straits. Just now, in my dream, it suddenly activated, showing me many chaotic scenes..."
Gong Shuwu's expression turned solemn.
Is this the way of the scholar that should only be used in dire straits?
In other words, are they about to face a desperate situation?
A strange sense of crisis welled up inside him, and he hurriedly asked, "What did you see in your dream, sir? If you could have known it beforehand, could you have avoided it?"
Chu Yao said cryptically, "I'm afraid we can't avoid it."
Gong Shuwu was horrified: "Is this a deadly situation?"
One was a scholar, the other a warrior; while they couldn't claim to move freely amidst thousands of troops, escaping Xiaocheng shouldn't be a problem, unless they were unlucky enough to encounter a much stronger opponent. But then again, where in Geng Kingdom could they find such a formidable and ruthless character?
Chu Yao said, "It wasn't us."
Gong Shuwu realized: "Is it Xiaocheng?"
Chu Yao nodded weakly: "Mm."
Each activation of his scholarly path draws out a large amount of literary energy. At this moment, his dantian is empty, and the intense weakness accompanied by dizziness makes him unable to stand up and unable to sit back down.
He then gasped for breath.
"In my dream, I saw the rebels besiege Xiaocheng without attacking, and soon the city ran out of ammunition and food. The rebels then threw the corpses of people infected with the plague into the city, and the corpses were left unattended, becoming food for the rats in the city... and the disease spread as a result..."
He didn't need to describe the subsequent carnage in detail; Gong Shuwu could already imagine it. After hearing this, he slammed his hand down on the low table beside him, shattering it. The sound of the wooden table breaking into pieces startled Su Shang, who was dozing in his arms, and he had to suppress his temper and try to calm her down.
He lowered his voice: "Surrounding them without attacking? Are they crazy?"
In war, victory is paramount, not protracted conflict.
They could have taken the city from the enemy in a day or two, but instead they chose to "besiege it without attacking," thus prolonging the war!
Is this just stalling for time?
This is clearly a delay in supplying our own troops! Although Sibao County is located at the border of Geng and Xin, and it wouldn't be too difficult for the rebel army under the King of Zhi to replenish their supplies, there would still be a lot of losses during the transportation process.
For every stone of food consumed by the soldiers at the front, the rear can receive more than ten stones!
Is the King of Pigs so rich he's burning his brains?
Or did the grain get moldy from being too plentiful?
Chu Yao closed his eyes with a heavy heart: "Neither. The rebels have a well-thought-out plan; they are not making a foolish move."
After he finished speaking, he opened his eyes and met Gong Shuwu's gaze.
The latter felt uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously looked away.
"Mr. Chu, are you saying... they have ulterior motives, and are willing to waste more than a month's worth of provisions for tens of thousands of troops???"
Chu Yao said, "Yes."
Gong Shuwu asked, "What is the purpose?"
Chu Yao sighed, "The Imperial Seal, the Imperial Seal of the Xin Kingdom!"
The six simple words sounded like six thunderclaps to Gong Shuwu's ears, exploding right next to him, startling him so much that he froze on the spot, unable to hear anything around him, and had no idea what Chu Yao had said next. After a long while, his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
Chu Yao: "I am certain that someone in the rebel camp knows the approximate location of the Imperial Seal, and is willing to create a plague and massacre the city for this purpose."
The national seal is a matter of national destiny.
The fate of the nation is closely related to the well-being of its people.
Although the Xin Kingdom has been destroyed, the Xin Kingdom's Imperial Seal has not been completely severed from the people of Xin; it still retains a portion of the kingdom's fortune. The person who created the plague and massacred the city did so to quickly deplete this fortune. Once the fortune is exhausted, the Imperial Seal will be fully exposed.
Chu Yao looked at Gong Shuwu with a solemn expression.
He asked, "Actually, Qi Yuanliang and I guessed it long ago. 'Gong Shuwu' is an alias, and your real identity is 'Gong Wen,' right? Before the capital of Xin Kingdom fell, 'Gong Wen' disappeared. Afterwards, Zheng Qiao confiscated the Gong family's property, but you were the only one missing. So..."
Gong Shuwu also knew that he could not keep his disguise secret for long.
When Chu Yao exposed him to his face, he was not terrified or furious. Instead, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally let go of a burden.
He readily admitted, "Yes, I am Gong Wen."
Gong Shuwu readily confessed: "Before the capital fell, the former king secretly summoned me to the palace and entrusted me with the national seal, hoping that I could help the descendants of Xin Kingdom to restore their kingdom. Even if we cannot restore the kingdom, this national seal must not fall into the hands of Zheng Qiao of Geng Kingdom..."
What kind of person was that former ruler of Xin Kingdom?
How could Gongshu Wu not know?
However, the Gong family received salaries from the Xin Kingdom and were obligated to remain loyal to their monarch. He fled the capital overnight with the imperial seal, enduring a life of hardship and evasion. He only found temporary peace by using Qi Shan's disguise, never imagining that he still couldn't escape...
Just as Chu Yao was about to say something, a heavy thud came from outside. The two exchanged a glance, got up, and pushed open the door.
Outside the door, on the ground.
A corpse whose eyes were not closed even in death.
The corpse was emaciated; its exposed arms, ankles, and calves were skin and bones, the flesh clinging tightly to the bones. Its face was pale and gaunt, sunken, with dark circles under its eyes. It wore tattered clothes that barely covered its body and emitted a foul stench.
Gong Shuwu squatted down and checked his breathing.
He said, "He's already dead."
The body was only slightly warm.
Gong Shuwu suddenly recalled Chu Yao's earlier words, "a glimmer of hope after despair," the prophetic verses of the literati. He looked up and vaguely saw a humanoid figure leap over the high city wall and land inside Xiaocheng City. With a thud, it landed in the next alley.
The person was still warm when they landed.
He lay limply on the ground.
Blood streamed down the man's sickly, distorted face, his muscles twitching. He was in his forties. Hearing the noise, he struggled to move his eyes toward Chu Yao and the other man, his lips moving slightly.
Judging from the shape of the lips, it seems to be a cry for help.
He used the last of his strength, thinking his cries for help would be loud, but they were actually broken and weak, so weak that even the night wind could blow them away. A gurgling, muffled sound came from his throat, blood spilled from his mouth, and soon his eyes stopped moving.
Chu Yao closed his eyes heavily.
Even though my eyes aren't looking, my mind keeps replaying what I saw in my dream.
The plague raged, people resorted to cannibalism, and nine out of ten houses in Xiaocheng were empty. The people awaited death in despair, and it was no exaggeration to call it a hell on earth.
“Unheard of, unseen,” he said softly.
In his youth, he was full of vigor and led troops to fight against the Northern Desert. In his disappointment, he experienced the destruction of the Chu Kingdom and the exile on foot in shackles. He eventually came to Yuehua Tower in Xiaocheng as a servant, where he was ordered around without any dignity. In his short life of thirty-four years, he thought he had enough experience, but he had never seen such a scene before!
This is absurd!
Is this really a scene that would exist in the mortal world?
The colors before Chu Yao's eyes flickered, his body swayed slightly, and he fell to one side. If Gong Shuwu hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed his shoulder, he would have crashed into the wall. Gong Shuwu cried out anxiously, "Sir!"
Chu Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
Swallowing the nausea rising in his throat and suppressing the urge to vomit, he said weakly, "Find some firewood and burn these corpses."
Gong Shuwu frowned: "Burn it? Not bury it?"
Chu Yao said, "Burying it is useless."
The people of Xiaocheng are starving, and the rats are even hungrier. They will follow the scent and search for any food they can find. Burying the corpses would only create more problems. It would be better to burn them all to minimize contact between healthy people and the bodies.
They knew these corpses carried a disease aura.
But others don't know.
Especially the soldiers guarding the city walls of Xiaocheng.
"What are the rebels doing?"
"The stone was thrown in the wrong direction..."
"Pah! You'd love for them to smash you into mincemeat, wouldn't you?" His comrade-in-arms, who was defending the city with him, spat in annoyance.
It's a miracle they survived.
Another soldier said, "It looks like a person was thrown in?"
Most of them were ordinary people, and even those with martial arts skills were not highly skilled, and their night vision was limited, making it impossible for them to clearly see what was thrown into the city. They could only judge what it was based on its general shape. He was immediately ridiculed by the others after he finished speaking.
"Vote for people? Hahaha, you mean vote like that?"
"If you threw it in, it would be smashed into a pulp, wouldn't it?"
Are you sure this was a divine intervention or a descent of ghosts?
With such force and such a height, even a martial artist of the seventh or eighth rank would be half-dead from the fall. The soldiers initially paid no attention to it, instead focusing their attention on the rebel catapults.
The catapults fired for more than half an hour.
The soldiers were preparing to receive the attack when—
The rebels pushed the catapults back.
They went back?
The soldiers were completely dumbfounded. All that fuss and time, just to throw in a few dozen people?
this--
What exactly are they up to?
Shen Tang and his group also kept a close eye on the situation here.
They did see clearly who was thrown in.
They were just a group of ordinary people in tattered clothes.
If I had to pinpoint what was unusual about them, it would probably be that they were all too thin. The adult males inside weighed less than 80 pounds, skin and bones alike.
Shen Tang lowered her hand from her brow.
He asked, "What are the rebels up to?"
It looks weird no matter how you look at it.
Zhai Le crossed his arms and tentatively analyzed, "Could it be that they want to use this move to intimidate the people defending Xiaocheng and shake the morale of the army? But that doesn't make sense. With the current strength of the rebel army, it would only take them a day or two to take Xiaocheng. Why resort to some bloody intimidation tactics?"
Shen Tang suddenly said, "I'm a little worried."
Zhai Le: "What are you worried about?"
Shen Tang: "These people who were thrown in..."
Doesn't look very healthy...
|ω`)
I'm thinking of getting a Cherry MX Blue switch keyboard to try it out; typing should feel like it's really satisfying to hear the clicks and clacks.
(End of this chapter)
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