Chapter 61: Gong Shuwu [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. It is our duty to help those in need. You are too kind, chivalrous one."
Shen Tang spoke with great boldness. If you ignored the baked flatbread she was holding, she truly had the air of a wandering knight-errant.
Even someone as sharp-tongued as Qi Shan was too lazy to criticize the flaws in Shen Xiaolangjun's words at this moment—Xiaolangjun had "saved a life," but how many lives could be choked by a sword?
The drunkard himself doesn't remember.
As for "seeing injustice on the road," it's even more interesting. It's clearly a young man who got drunk and ran all the way to someone's face to "draw his sword and help."
Qi Shan felt there were many flaws, but the "thief" didn't think so.
Seeing that Shen Tang spoke frankly and naturally, his tense nerves relaxed a little, his brows unfurrowed, and his entire shoulder relaxed.
He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and promised, "I am deeply grateful and will not thank you in words. If you ever need my help in the future, I will serve you faithfully!"
Shen Tang smiled and said, "No problem, no problem."
As he spoke, he distributed the baked flatbreads.
Whether it was because she hadn't eaten enough for dinner or because she had exercised too much after drinking, she was feeling unbearably hungry, with a kind of emptiness after indulging in recklessness, an indescribable discomfort. Having just finished dividing the food, she took a bite of the still-hot pancake, leaving a neat crescent-shaped mark.
"Thank you, Brother Shen." Zhai Le changed his posture from sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest and politely accepted the baked flatbread that Shen Tang handed him. The flatbread was baked to a golden brown and crispy, with a slightly astringent taste and a hint of sweetness. Holding the flatbread, he sighed, "In this moment, wouldn't it be wonderful if we had some fine wine to accompany it?"
Fine wine?
Upon hearing the word "alcohol," Qi Shan's sensitive nerves were triggered.
He endured the throbbing pain in his temples, his smile concealing a dagger: "Young friend, I can't bear to hear the word 'alcohol' right now."
The mere mention of wine brings to mind the scene of Young Master Shen brandishing his sword and going on a drunken rampage, with me chasing after him – a truly rare nightmare!
Older people's legs and feet can't withstand this kind of strain.
When Zhai Le saw his smile, he shrank back in fright.
Shen Tang also felt guilty and secretly broke out in a sweat.
To break the almost frozen tension, Shen Tang took the initiative to change the subject and turned to ask the "thief" who was sitting and meditating.
"We still do not know the name of the chivalrous hero?"
Upon hearing this question, the "thief's" expression faltered slightly, but returned to normal in the blink of an eye; one might mistake it for an illusion without careful observation.
"My surname is Gongshu, my given name is Wu, and my courtesy name is Banbu."
Gong Shuwu?
Half a step for Gongshu?
That's a really strange name.
Not to mention that the compound surname Gongshu is extremely rare, the given name and courtesy name alone are very strange. In ancient times, six feet was considered half a foot, and half a step was considered martial.
The parents who chose the name weren't exactly careless, but their approach was rather unconventional. However, Shen Tang didn't ask any questions. After all, there are all sorts of people in the world. She also knew of people whose surname was "Wang" and given name was "Zhe Rongyao," or whose surname was "Gu" and given name was "De Mao Ning."
Zhai Le chewed on his biscuit and asked, "Then do you know why they are chasing you? And why they went so far as to send an eighth-class passenger?"
Although martial arts training is simpler and has a lower barrier to entry than literary cultivation, it doesn't mean that the eighth-class martial arts path is as easy as cabbage in a field. In fact, it's the ceiling that 70% of martial artists reach in their lifetime. Going further requires a certain amount of talent, daily hard work, and luck.
Gong Shuwu shook his head: "I don't know."
Zhai Le asked in confusion, "You don't know?"
Gong Shuwu gave a bitter smile, unwilling to say more.
Qi Shan sneered inwardly—only a three-year-old would believe such a flimsy excuse as not knowing why he was being hunted.
The so-called Gongshu Wu was simply a pseudonym.
According to the records of the Thief Star meteorite, there was once a man named Taishu Duan who was defeated in battle and fled to Gongdi, where he was also known as "Gongshu Duan".
As the lineage was passed down through generations, it gradually evolved into the Duan clan, the Gongshu clan, the Gong clan, and finally the Gong clan, which is known to the public.
Thinking about it this way, I understand.
Gongshu and Gong.
Martial arts and literature.
Half a step is martial arts, and the principles of propriety are literature.
Therefore, the Gong Shuwu in front of us is actually Gong Wen, Gong Yili, a ninth-rank fifth-level official of the Gong family who had fled abroad!
Qi Shan's expression remained calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to Gong Shuwu's unusual demeanor. He pretended not to know Gong Shuwu's identity and simply asked with concern, "The thieves are probably still plotting; they'll likely return sooner or later. Has Young Master Gong Shuwu come up with a plan?"
Gong Shuwu shook his head.
Her haggard face was flushed with an unhealthy blush.
Even with his excellent health as a ninth-rank, fifth-grade doctor, he was covered in wounds. He had been constantly on the run since being captured, with no time to recuperate. Some wounds had scabbed over and healed on their own, leaving only long red marks; others had reopened after healing, or worsened, with many becoming red and festering from filth. Qi Shan's problem was his biggest worry at the moment, but also the one he had the least control over.
After a long pause, he sighed softly: "If there is really no other way, we can only flee to a neighboring country for refuge, which may give us a glimmer of hope."
Qi Shan lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, learning from Gong Shuwu to "open her heart to him".
"To be honest, I only recently returned from studying abroad. It was not peaceful there either, with harsh government and heavy taxes, frequent wars, and vast scorched lands. Compared to that, Geng Country is much better."
The war between the states of Geng and Xin is over.
Other countries are either currently fighting or preparing to fight.
Upon hearing this, Gong Shuwu fell silent, his expression deathly still, a sense of profound sorrow washing over him, a feeling of vastness and utter desolation over which he had nowhere to stand.
Qi Shan could somewhat understand his feelings.
Apart from Zhai Le, who was from the southeast, everyone else present was a citizen of the Xin Kingdom, which had already fallen and been renamed "Chongtai". Although the founding and fall of a country and the change of household registration were very common in this era, and knowledgeable people were not bound by the so-called "nationality", there was still a sense of loneliness, as if "the hometown had been destroyed and there was no place to go".
They were exhausted, like stray dogs.
The description of Gong Shuwu, who was utterly exhausted at this moment, is apt.
Zhai Le was focused solely on eating the pancake.
Shen Tang was different; while eating her pancakes, she kept an eye on Qi Shan and the other person—her intuition told her that this guy was up to no good!
That LYB is such a jerk!
When fighting, he uses the "Protect Yourself" skill on himself, stays on the sidelines, and doesn't care about his teammates as long as they don't die.
How could such a despicable person proactively care about other people's mental health, comfort the weak, and even "confide in" others?
Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of malice or theft.
Shen Tang's eyes darted around, and an uncanny tacit understanding emerged.
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'the darkest place is under the lamp'?"
"The darkest place is under the lamp? Of course I've heard of that."
"You should have heard the saying, 'The most dangerous place is the safest place.' The people chasing you know that you have fled to Xiaocheng, so they will naturally guess that you have fled to another country. They may even set up an ambush on your way, waiting for you to walk into their trap. It would be better to do nothing."
"Do nothing?"
Shen Tang: "Hide your identity and stay in Xiaocheng."
This assist pleased Qi Shan, who continued, "Recently, a rumor has been circulating that 'the Purple Star will emerge from the Northwest to ensure the unification of the world,' and many unfamiliar faces have appeared in Sibao County. Hiding among them actually reduces the risk of being discovered."
Gong Shuwu's resolve wavered considerably.
Darkness under the lamp...
Staying in the most dangerous Xiaocheng...
Despite the inner struggle, I ultimately couldn't resist the temptation.
He nodded and replied, "Mm."
Gongshu—Gong
Wu——Wen
Half a step is martial arts—the principles of propriety are literature.
Therefore, Gong Shuwu is Gong Yili, Gong Cheng's second uncle.
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(End of this chapter)
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