"Brother Shaobai, come, come, add a spoonful of this shop's unique sauce. I guarantee you'll never forget the taste." Xun Ding, a martial arts expert, was several sizes larger than the average person. Even sitting on a small stool, he was enormous, making him stand out among the other diners at the porridge shop. The man who instilled fear in ordinary people was now forcing a fawning smile, serving him attentively.
Ji Moqiu held a mouthful of porridge, her expression conflicted.
After swallowing with difficulty, she whispered, "Don't call me that."
The boy's face turned pale from being called "Brother Shaobai" so sweetly, and he became restless. Although he was also an extroverted person and had never cared about other people's opinions, he hadn't reached Shao Chong's detached state of indifference. To put it simply, the boy was still a bit shy and would blush and feel embarrassed.
Xun Dingdao said, "I bet you're the brother-in-law!"
Although this conclusion hasn't been confirmed yet, he just wanted to see Gong Xichou become the younger brother, with someone above him who could keep this guy in check. Just imagining this arrogant old man acting all high and mighty outside, yet obediently calling his own brother "brother," made Xun Ding feel incredibly satisfied!
You only get married once in your life, but you get beaten twice.
Is this reasonable?
This is completely unreasonable!
Xun decided to plan ahead and first get closer to Shao Bai, so that the boy would receive the benefits he offered. He figured that this "eighteen-year-old brother-in-law" wouldn't make things too difficult for him.
Xun Ding pointed to their faces and said, "You two look so alike!"
Ji Moqiu: "My teacher said that the gods of our clan are very devoted. The high priests chosen from one generation all have some similarities in appearance. My teacher and I looked quite similar when we were young. Appearance is not a big deal in our clan."
Xun Ding's smile froze as he recalled the full-body portraits of past high priests hanging in the secret chamber where the life lamp was enshrined: "I was wondering why there were so many identical portraits..."
The portrait was not realistic, and Xun Ding was rather careless.
At first glance, those portraits don't look much different.
Before Ji Moqiu explained, he thought that the Gongxi clan's painters had limited skills and only knew this one style of portraiture.
Choosing a high priest based on looks and such...
The more I listened, the more I felt that the god worshipped by the Gongxi clan was an evil god.
He dared not say this to Ji Moqiu's face. Over the years, he had spent his free time reading through many Gongxi clan documents and knew that under normal circumstances, the high priest was the most steadfast believer among the contemporary clansmen. To openly criticize someone's faith was tantamount to courting death.
Xun Ding put on a fawning smile again: "Whether you are Gong Xi Chou's brother or not, I will acknowledge you as my brother Shao Bai. Let's stick to our own ways! In the future, if you encounter any trouble in this capital of Fengluo, just mention my name, and it will definitely work!"
Ji Moqiu: "There's no need for that..."
He's not the type to cause trouble.
Seeing that Ji Moqiu's bowl of porridge was almost empty, Xun Ding hurriedly told the porridge shop owner to refill it: "Don't neglect my good brother!"
Ji Moqiu: "..."
He had no choice but to try to distract Xun Ding by talking about something else.
"What's going on outside? It sounds so noisy!"
Many diners, carrying their porridge, also gathered by the roadside, quickly forming a wall of people three layers deep. Ji Moqiu was new to the area, while Xun Ding, as the host, should be quite familiar with the situation.
Xun Ding craned his neck and tilted his head to glance at the crowd.
"Good heavens, this formation, could it be—" A guess surfaced in his mind. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the surrounding aura. Sure enough, he detected many familiar auras on the main road nearby, which was also the direction the crowd was looking in. His expression brightened, and he said to Ji Moqiu, "Brother Shaobai, the view here is not good. Let's go to a higher place to see. You've come at the right time; the Lord has returned."
"Your Majesty? Shouldn't the King reside in the inner palace?"
Xun Ding casually remarked, "The rulers of other countries are the ones who stay cooped up in their inner palace all day. Our Kang Kingdom's ruler comes out every few days to observe the people's conditions. As long as corrupt officials are unlucky enough, they can see her appearing and disappearing anywhere..."
As she spoke, she held a bowl of porridge in one hand and pulled Ji Moqiu along with the other.
He shouted, "Don't just stand there! There are many brave warriors in the capital. If you get up late, there won't be any room for you."
"Yong'an, wait!" In his panic, Ji Moqiu made a hand seal with his other hand, and a vine grew rapidly, wrapping up the porridge that was not yet finished. It quickly caught up with the two of them, but halfway there it remembered that it hadn't taken the chopsticks and condiments, so it turned back, wrapped them up together, and slid away.
Xun Ding led Ji Moqiu onto the roof.
Sure enough, quite a few people were already standing here.
Several of them were still wearing official uniforms.
Some knew Xun Ding, and some knew Xun Ding.
Their ranks were all lower than Xun Ding's, and they were required to bow to him. Xun Ding had no interest in maintaining official etiquette at the moment, and waved them all away, saying, "There's no need for so much formality. This isn't a government office. You can eat your food and leave me alone."
The group had no choice but to comply, but their gazes involuntarily drifted toward the young man beside Xun Ding, secretly guessing his identity.
If I remember correctly, General Xun is getting married soon, isn't he?
The group exchanged glances subtly.
Some people noticed the vines that were quietly serving as a makeshift table. This person was more knowledgeable and immediately recognized its species—corpse vine! This person silently moved to the left, pulling his colleague along with him, for fear that they would be entangled by this thing and sucked into a dried-up body.
Xun Ding's attention was not on this at all.
Taking advantage of his superior visibility, he clearly saw the figures of the crowd appearing in the noisiest part of the main road. His eyes flashed with surprise. Sitting on the roof ridge, he enthusiastically introduced to Ji Moqiu while eating rice: "That direction, do you see it? That's the first one!"
The room wasn't very tall, and the crowd was dense, so Ji Moqiu couldn't really see who Xun Ding meant by "leading the way." He was more worried that the porridge would get cold and not taste good. After drinking several mouthfuls, he looked at the ever-growing crowd and felt a bit worried: "I've heard there's a saying in the secular world, 'A son of a wealthy family doesn't sit under a dangerous roof.' The king is the most honored person in the country. Won't it be dangerous for him to do this?"
The rooftops of the nearby buildings are full of people.
A quick glance revealed that their aura was that of ordinary people.
These people may not be very strong, but they have the advantage of being densely populated. If they were to join forces and ambush the king, wouldn't he be in danger?
Ji Moqiu had traveled to many countries with his teachers, and to his recollection, no other country's ruler would be so bold.
As soon as he said this, many eyes turned to him from the vicinity.
The information conveyed by these lines of sight is complex.
Ji Moqiu thought he had said something wrong.
Xun Ding gathered a ball of martial energy in his palm, wrapped it around the empty ceramic bowl, and threw it back perfectly and accurately into the bucket where the porridge shop owner kept dirty bowls: "There will be no danger. If there were, the one in danger of losing his life wouldn't be the master."
Who would bother to assassinate Kang's strongest warrior?
Even disregarding the lord's strength, the officials surrounding him are all ruthless characters, one after another. In addition, Fengluo City is well-defended. How ruthless would it take to launch a sneak attack on the lord in front of them or cause a riot?
If the assassin were to break through all the defenses and injure the lord, these civil and military officials of Kangguo wouldn't need to apologize; they could just commit suicide to avoid disgracing themselves while alive. Xun Ding's words opened Ji Moqiu's eyes. He nodded and, like Xun Ding, threw the empty bowl back.
Hearing the news, the common people of Fengluo gathered on both sides of the main road. Soldiers maintained order, and the people refrained from rushing onto the main road. However, the large crowds could easily lead to accidents. Shen Tang was worried and could only order his men to speed up; they couldn't linger any longer.
Xun Zhen and a few others were rather cunning.
They secretly used a literary avatar to impersonate their true selves as soon as they entered the city, pulling off a clever escape. However, Shen Tang, as the ruler, could not act so recklessly—the people's hearts were precious. Even if no one could distinguish between her and the literary avatar, she did not want to deceive anyone.
"Sigh, what a sweet burden."
Shen Tang would nod occasionally in response to the cheers and congratulations from the common people.
Kangguo was known for its open-mindedness, with Fengluo being the most enlightened. Shen Tang frequently left the inner court to stroll outside, meeting with her ministers for meals and discussions. Many commoners had encountered her. As such incidents became more frequent, the common people felt less fear and more affection for this young female ruler. In recent years, their living conditions and environment had visibly improved, naturally leading to greater respect for her.
Some bold young men even sent her sachets and flowers as tokens of their affection—their king was young and handsome, and still single, with the empress's palace vacant. This meant that anyone could potentially win her favor, and with luck, even become her consort. However, these tokens could not reach Shen Tang; they were all gently received by an invisible force and then accepted by the guards.
Although Shen Tang had no intention of finding a partner, she didn't object to the actions of these young people—young people should have the vigor of youth. Whether it's striving for a better future or bravely pursuing love, having the courage to put it into practice is half the battle won.
We must never be like those pedantic people who hesitate and look back!
The team's speed after entering the city was not slow.
It was morning, and many people were still asleep. If they entered the city at noon, the streets would be packed with people, and the situation would be difficult to control. Before long, Shen Tang and his entourage of officials arrived near the porridge shop. Someone with sharp eyes noticed Xun Ding.
They whispered, "General Xun is here too."
Upon hearing this, his colleague looked up and saw that it was indeed Xun Ding: "Didn't they say he's getting married tomorrow? Why isn't he preparing to be the groom at this crucial moment? Why is he out here joining in the fun?"
They all suspected that the king had rushed back earlier than scheduled in order to be there in time for Xun Ding's wedding feast.
This is the only such favor bestowed upon Kangguo since its founding.
Unexpectedly, the groom himself was so lax.
Some people noticed that there was a porridge shop at Xun Ding's feet and said with a smile, "Looks like he's out for breakfast."
"It would have been better if you hadn't mentioned it, because now that you have, I've started thinking about it too."
"The porridge at Fengluo is the best!"
Other colleagues thought differently. Rumor has it that some officials in the Ministry of Rites even privately argued about which restaurant had the best food.
Logically, having reached such a position, what household wouldn't need a cook to prepare three meals a day? But the atmosphere in the Kang Kingdom's court is exceptionally different. Even the king himself occasionally goes out to eat and buy things, all to encourage the development of commerce in the capital.
She did this herself, implying that all officials should follow suit.
The higher-ups set a bad example, resulting in officials wearing official uniforms everywhere. In other places, merchants would be terrified to see officials in their shops, but in Fengluo, it was the norm. What's wrong with wearing official uniforms? Forget about getting a free bill; they wouldn't even allow credit.
Shen Tang overheard the officials' conversation.
Her attention then shifted from the cheering crowd to Xun Ding, where she immediately noticed the young man beside him who looked remarkably like Gong Xi Chou: "Gong Xi Chou? Has he become younger after all these years? No, it's not Gong Xi Chou."
At that moment, the boy's gaze met hers.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Tang clearly noticed the boy's slightly widened eyes. The boy's eyes weren't as long and narrow as Gong Xi Chou's; when they were wide open, they made his face appear even more youthful. Shen Tang glanced at them briefly before looking away.
"Tsk, the old tadpole has finally found his brother's family."
The boy's appearance and attire were enough to identify him.
She's very pretty, much prettier than Gong Xiqiu was back then.
"It must be his nephew, right?"
Their gaze shifted to Xun Ding, but they found no signs of missing limbs, suggesting that Gong Xi Chou had shown mercy out of consideration for Gong Xi Lai. Or perhaps Gong Xi Chou hadn't even made a move yet? Shen Tang raised an eyebrow at Xun Ding, silently mouthing a gesture.
[Did Gong Xichou's beating hurt you?]
Xun Ding: "..."
His sleeve was tugged by the person beside him.
"What's wrong, Brother Shaobai?"
As Ji Moqiu watched the royal procession pass by on the main road, a strange light shone in the young man's eyes: "Is that the king?"
Xun Ding said proudly, "Yes, isn't it majestic?"
Ji Moqiu turned her head and looked at Xun Ding seriously, her clear eyes sparkling with joy: "So it's her, it's actually her... I know her, we met many years ago!"
Xun Ding asked curiously, "Have you met the king?"
We met many years ago.
Ji Moqiu nodded; "Yes, she's a very nice person. She even gave me three really delicious candies. It was the first time anyone had ever given me such delicious candies. She also played with me..."
Unfortunately, I never saw him again.
Xun Ding lost interest upon hearing this.
"Oh, then you must have been very young back then."
The king of his own kingdom would give a few candies to any child he encountered. It's estimated that there are very few children in Fengluo who haven't received candy.
However, this can also be considered a kind of fate.
Hearing Ji Moqiu remember even three candies so vividly, Xun Ding guessed that his childhood must have been very difficult, and he felt a surge of sympathy for him. He put his arm around Ji Moqiu's shoulder and patted his chest: "Come, come, little brother knows where the biggest and best candy shop in Fengluo is! Today you'll definitely eat your fill—"
But I—
Ji Moqiu's gaze remained fixed on the direction the group had gone.
However, Xun Ding forcibly dragged him away.
All morning, Xun Ding noticed that Ji Moqiu was absent-minded. He subconsciously touched Ji Moqiu's face and was startled by the temperature on his face.
"It's so hot, are you feverish?"
Ji Moqiu shook his head: "It wasn't me."
His gaze shifted to the large bag of sweets in Xun Ding's arms. He pulled out the wooden staff tucked behind his waist. After meeting the king, the staff had become abnormal: "It's getting hot."
That little red flower was inexplicably invigorated, its redness so intense it seemed to drip blood.
Seeing that Xun Ding was still puzzled, Ji Moqiu said, "I am connected to it by heart, and its abnormality will also affect me... It told me that the source of everything is that king..."
|ω`)
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