Chapter 1451: Your Name is Tan Qu [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"What did he promise?"
A weak voice came from the ice coffin.
If it weren't for the fact that Wenxin's hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people, he probably wouldn't have heard it. Yu Hai wasn't surprised by this, but simply reached out his hand to the person in the ice coffin and said, "You woke up a little earlier than expected this time."
The person in the ice coffin had skin even whiter than the snow, frighteningly white with faint bluish tinges. He was thin and pale, his body seemingly made of fragile bones, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. He pursed his bloodless lips and, with Yu Hai's help, struggled to sit up. His limbs were so stiff that he could hardly control them, and even the simplest movements required immense effort: "Too early?"
Yu Hai said, "It's three or four hours early."
The person in the ice coffin asked him, "What time is it now?"
Yu Hai replied, "There's still a quarter of an hour until midnight."
Seeing the expectation in the eyes of the person in the ice coffin, he said, "Today happens to be a full moon, the moonlight is just right, would you like to take a look?"
During the day, there are too many people and too much attention; now it's late at night and everyone is quiet.
He can take a few steps in the backyard garden without worrying about accidents.
The person in the ice coffin pursed their lips, looking at him with expectant eyes, as if asking, "Is this alright?" Yu Hai personally retrieved the wooden wheelchair that had been prepared beforehand and helped the other person sit down slowly. Whether it was because they had just woken up from the ice coffin or for some other reason, the other person's skin temperature was frighteningly low, and they exuded a chill: "Why not? As long as you have the strength to endure it, it's fine."
This villa was a property that Yu Hai acquired in his early years.
The location was remote, and normally only three or five servants and maids were responsible for cleaning and guarding the place. Now that the fighting was nearby, Yu Hai would come over to rest whenever he had a spare moment. The military camp was noisy during the day and unsettling at night; how could it compare to this secluded courtyard?
Of course, the most important reason is that this place hides a secret.
The back garden of the villa was not large; a wheelchair could only be pushed around for a few hundred steps. However, it was a rare sight for the person in the ice coffin. This person was thin, and his features had not fully developed. At first glance, he looked more like a malnourished teenager who had been abused.
"What did Guilong just promise?"
The boy sat in his wheelchair, silently gazing up at the moon. The bright moonlight shone on his brow, making him appear even more translucent.
His handsome and dashing appearance, and his refined and unrestrained charm, are faintly visible.
It seemed as if it would ride the wind and fly away at any moment.
“My lord…” Yu Hai had a lot of complaints about Zhai Le, then remembered that the boy’s memories were different from ordinary people. The last time he mentioned Zhai Le to him was half a year ago. At that time, the boy was far less clear-headed than he is now. His thoughts were more chaotic than an infant’s. He was in a daze for eleven hours a day. Yu Hai asked him, “Do you still remember?”
The boy pondered for a few moments: "Zhai Le, I remember."
Yu Hai said, "He made a bet with someone."
The boy struggled to process the news: "Gambling is not a proper profession."
He remembered Yu Hai mentioning that the ruler was a king, and a king's addiction to gambling could be a big deal or a small one. The fact that Yu Hai was talking about this "gambling game" in private suggested something serious was going to happen.
“Yes, you’re right. If he loses the bet, the entire Qu Kingdom will be ruined,” Yu Hai complained. “When Zhai Huan entrusted his son to others, he didn’t mention that his younger brother was so reckless. All my hard work and planning for him has been for nothing. I was hoping that he could have a real fight with Shen Youli. The struggle for the world can’t be decided by a bloody battle of three armies. He’s just making a promise with a bet. Isn’t he stupid?”
Teenagers have a greater difficulty processing this information.
Although he had little memory of his past, his comprehension remained: "A gentleman keeps his word, but a ruler cannot be considered a gentleman."
The young man gently comforted Yu Hai, who was pouring out his grievances.
"That's what I think too, but the matter is complicated, and the crux of the problem isn't whether we can back out. Qu Kingdom's national strength is indeed inferior to theirs. If we were to fight, even if we had a slight chance of winning, it would probably be a Pyrrhic victory at a great cost."
The boy hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Yu Hai said, "Say whatever you want."
The young man sighed, "If the conflict between the two countries did not affect the common people, and the outcome was determined solely by civil and military means, then it would be fine to fight to the bitter end."
He instinctively disliked this Pyrrhic victory that resulted in mutual destruction, not to mention the greater probability of a crushing defeat... But Yu Hai was his benefactor, and the Qu Kingdom was the fruit of his benefactor's many years of hard work. No matter what, he couldn't bring himself to say anything like "stop the war out of pity for the lives lost." He could only naively think that if the change of nations didn't involve ordinary people, then even a cataclysmic upheaval wouldn't matter.
However, this is impossible.
The state of Qu also had its share of wise men who would rather shed blood on the battlefield than retreat a single step, and the same was true on the enemy's side. Only when it was a life-or-death struggle, and one side was completely defeated, would the struggle temporarily come to an end.
Yu Hai laughed and retorted, "Daydreaming."
He had no displeasure with the boy's naive thoughts, but rather viewed the boy's innocent words with the mindset of an elder. He looked down at the boy's profile, considering the latter's true identity and the weight that identity represented, and he could tolerate no matter how many nonsense the boy said.
This was his carefully prepared trump card.
The boy replied, "Perhaps daydreams really do exist in this world."
Having been awake for a short while, numerous fragments of memories surfaced in his mind. He could easily distinguish which of these fragments were real events and which were dreams. In these scattered dreams, he seemed to see many departed souls awaiting reincarnation.
The boy's eyes shone brighter than the stars and the moon: "In my dream, those who called themselves kings and generals were fighting fiercely."
Yu Hai sneered, "Tsk, even in death they can't find peace."
I have no doubt that if they truly had a soul, they would actually do it.
Seeing the weariness between the boy's brows, Yu Hai didn't take him back to the cellar, but instead pushed him to the main courtyard. Based on past experience, the boy's awakening could last for seven or eight days at a time. This time, his condition was much better than before; although tired, he was still mentally alert.
"Guilong, tell me about the past." The boy didn't have many memories of the past, only that Yu Hai was his benefactor and had devoted a lot of energy to treating his strange illness. Yu Hai had said that they used to be acquainted and had a very good relationship. He hadn't had the energy to ask before, but now that he was in better spirits, he wanted to know some things from the past, hoping it would help him recover sooner.
Yu Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Your name is Tan Qu, courtesy name Lezheng, do you remember me?"
"Lezheng, Lezheng, Lezheng?"
The boy chewed on the name several times, a strange warmth welling up in his chest. Yu Hai told him that since he contracted the strange illness, his body temperature had been lower than normal for over twenty years, and he would often be in a coma for years at a time. Only a few times when he briefly woke up to bask in the sun would his skin feel inexplicably hot.
He hadn't felt what "warmth" felt like for a long time.
This unfamiliar noise made him believe Yu Hai's words without a doubt.
He said, "It's a good name."
After muttering to himself, he asked, "Did I used to like music theory?"
Yu Hai said, "The painting is good, but the music theory is barely acceptable."
The boy wasn't too surprised. His name was given at birth, carrying the blessings of his elders, and didn't mean he'd have a talent for it when he grew up. The boy suddenly felt a strong urge to pick up a pen and draw, but his right hand, struggling even to curl its fingers, brought him back to reality.
"You can pick it up again once you've recovered a bit more."
The boy nodded, his eyes full of anticipation: "What do I usually like to draw? Do you have any old paintings at home?"
Yu Hai fell silent.
This question seemed very difficult for him to answer.
"I do have older works, but are you sure you want to see them?"
The boy hesitated: "Is it because my drawing skills are poor?"
How bad must Guilong's drawing skills be to make him say that?
Yu Hai shook his head: "No, that's not it."
In terms of painting, there are very few in the world who can surpass "him." It's just that he's been too busy with official duties to hone his painting skills. Otherwise, with more than twenty years of hard work, he would undoubtedly be the next generation's painting master. Yu Hai bent over and pulled out a box of things from the corner.
He brought it over mysteriously, then opened it with a strange, expectant expression that the boy couldn't quite put into words: "Take a look."
The boy opened them one by one, with a mixture of belief and skepticism.
He opened it silently, and then closed it silently again.
His pale face visibly regained some color.
Yu Hai suppressed a laugh and said, "This was painted before you fell ill with this strange disease. In some places, it's a priceless treasure that's hard to come by."
It wasn't that he was lying to the boy; the painting was indeed valuable.
A living person may have flaws, but the person in a painting can be perfect.
Don't be fooled by the impeccably dressed gentry who collect these paintings; they too have their own desires, and some even see the figures in the paintings as goddesses in their dreams.
juvenile:"……"
Yu Hai countered, "Le Zheng doesn't believe it?"
The boy shook his head and said, "Of course I believe you."
"Don't you think this is inappropriate?"
"If there is no desire, how can living beings reproduce? This is not something that is difficult to talk about, but—" The boy was concerned about something else. Guilong said that he had been ill for about twenty years. If we subtract his current age, how old were he when he left these old works?
Is it really okay for someone so young to be exposed to these things?
The painting is so lifelike, it seems as if the artist saw it with his own eyes.
The boy rested his chin on his hand and fell silent.
If this isn't a hobby, then it must mean he lived a poor life before. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tan Qu... ah no, I felt sorry for myself. Yu Hai only brought out the others after he had seen enough of the jokes; besides the blush-inducing fire-avoidance drawings, there were also some serious paintings.
The boy looked at them carefully: "I remember them all."
He used to be a person who really loved painting.
"Besides painting, are there any other techniques?"
"He also has some expertise in military strategy and tactics."
The boy listened intently, but the more he listened, the more something seemed amiss. Yu Hai said he used to be a very bloodthirsty person, always talking about lying and killing. He had killed an immoral lord and wiped out unscrupulous colleagues; his only conscientious hobby was raising cats.
"cat?"
"It's called Huaixu."
The name Huai Xu stirred something in the young man's heart.
He dispelled even the slightest lingering doubts.
"Huaixu, I remember it!"
so--
Had he truly killed an immoral lord and annihilated unscrupulous colleagues? The young man looked down at his hand, wondering if he had been driven to the brink of despair before drawing his sword in anger. His bloodlust was born of necessity.
Lezheng should be the best in the world.
"...Do you remember that you couldn't afford to keep the cat, so you went to get a salary without working and falsified accounts?" Yu Hai got angry when he mentioned this!
Boy: "...Why go to such lengths to raise a cat?"
The money earned from the fire-avoidance diagram should be enough to support the locust tree.
Yu Hai said quietly, "You've raised hundreds of them."
juvenile:"……"
Therefore—
Are cat owners forced to turn to corruption due to survival pressures?
The boy decided to skip the topic for now and asked Yu Hai if he had any close friends or relatives. Yu Hai replied that he was rather withdrawn by nature, didn't like socializing, and spent his days gloomy and scheming behind the scenes. The only person he got along with was Qi Jiazi.
Who is that?
"Qi Shan, Grand Secretary of Kangguo."
The boy's eyes widened suddenly: "They're all Grand Secretaries now?"
Yu Hai: "You two have a life-or-death feud, and you're still happy?"
"Are we enemies?"
"Yes, he's the one who caused you to get this strange illness."
The boy pursed his lips: "This... may be a misunderstanding."
Whether it's the name Qi Shan or Tan Qu, the boy's intuition tells him that they must both be good people.
Yu Hai almost laughed in anger: "What misunderstanding?"
“...Even if it wasn’t a misunderstanding, I don’t blame him.” The boy initially answered softly, but then he remembered that the name Kangguo was preceded by the name Zhongshuling, and Kangguo seemed to be the rival of Quguo, the country that made a bet with Lord Yu Hai. He swallowed the rest of his words.
Yu Hai: "..."
It's not surprising that you have no memory of it...
What kind of bewitching potion did Qi Yuanliang give him?
Seeing his silence and awkward expression, the boy asked Yu Hai somewhat unnaturally, "Does Guilong hope that I can seek revenge on Qi Shan?"
"You? He's powerful and influential now. He could take ten of your lives with a single hand without even thinking." Yu Hai wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't expect the boy to have any thoughts of revenge. To put it bluntly, he couldn't even walk properly, yet he wanted to seek revenge on Qi Yuanliang? Who gave him the courage to think like that?
Is it Qi Yuanliang?
Ha, Qi Yuanliang might actually give it to me.
"Just focus on getting better; don't worry about anything else."
No matter how deep the hatred between Yu Hai and Qi Shan is, he wouldn't use a teenager as a scapegoat. Why would an adult's hatred affect a child? He was just looking forward to the day when all of Qi Shan's pretenses would crumble.
Upon hearing this, the boy visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
But then Yu Hai added a sentence.
"I'll take revenge myself."
"But he is the Grand Chancellor of a powerful nation..."
"So what if he's the Grand Secretary? Ha, he's got no brains. I have plenty of ways to make him ride a thousand miles alone to his death!"
Yu Hai has been sharpening his sword all along, waiting for that day.
Did they actively seek revenge?
This doesn't match Yu Hai's reputation.
He wanted Qishan to come to him in person!
Worry lingered in the boy's eyes, and the increasingly strong drowsiness prevented him from staying awake for long. When Yu Hai looked down, he saw the boy leaning against the wheelchair, fast asleep. His breathing was shallow and weak, but it was much better than lying in the ice coffin: "I'm really looking forward to that day."
The one from Kangguo is called Qishan, while the one on our side is called Tanqu, which makes perfect sense. Yu Hai was in a good mood and spent half the night studying chess scores.
Some people are in a good mood, while others are in a bad mood.
For example, Shen Tang, whose sleep quality has been poor recently.
God knows what's going on, but these past few days my dreams have been filled with noise, and I can't remember what's making all that noise in them.
All I know is that there are a lot of people and a lot of different opinions.
Looking down—
I don't know how I opened that scroll of the Investiture of the Gods.
What is surrounded by all the words, layer upon layer?
Shen Tang leaned closer and saw that they were gathered around several characters that were missing half of their parts. The group of characters were whispering and murmuring amongst themselves, discussing something incomprehensible. She couldn't contain her anger and yelled, "Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? Let your ancestors make noise!"
When the crowd of onlookers saw Chen Tang approaching, they scattered like birds and beasts.
Only a few scattered words remain.
Shen Tang saw horror in the few remaining words: "Whenever you fought before, weren't you always torn to pieces? You never seemed so panicked then. Where did its lower half go?"
She searched the scroll for a long time but couldn't find the other half.
|ω`)
We'll continue tomb sweeping tomorrow, so I'll go to bed early.
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