Chapter 50 Attendant Twenty-Eight
With the challenge issued and the great battle imminent, the King of Zhen became increasingly busy. He spent his days in his tent practicing on the sand table, often discussing matters with his generals all night long. His diet also became increasingly haphazard, even less refined than that of his soldiers. He would often make do with a fried pancake or a few barley tsampa and a bowl of mare's milk tea for a meal.
However, he didn't let Shinju join them. Instead, he gave Shinju all the special imperial dishes prepared by the cooks. Shinju offered to eat with them several times, not wanting to be treated specially, but King Zhen was adamant and wouldn't allow the kitchen to stop making those exquisite dishes. So Shinju had to enjoy the delicacies alone, such as braised lamb trotters, roast goose legs, and crystal sashimi, with each meal different from the last.
The generals below, observing this, couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves. But whenever anyone tried to mention it to the King of Zhen, he would coldly retort, "You still have time to worry about these things?" If pressed further, he would add, "It's just that I couldn't eat it, so I had Xiao Qingzi help me finish it," silencing the murmurs. Some even went directly to Zhen Su to argue, but Zhen Su simply took out a whole leg of lamb and gave it to them, leaving the person unsure whether to be angry or upset, and they could only wave their hand and retreat.
Later, everyone became numb to it all. The King of Poison's protective attitude and the seemingly harmless appearance of the True Monk made it impossible to do anything about it, so they could only let them be. Instead, everyone began to look forward to the delicious food and wine at the victory banquet, further strengthening their resolve to kill the enemy and return in triumph. For a time, the morale of everyone in the camp soared even higher.
The King of Zhen was busy devising strategies, coordinating resources, and planning for the aftermath of the conquest—this was his biggest headache. While the King of Zhen was too busy to attend to Zhen Su, Zhen Su would seize the opportunity to cultivate, practicing whenever he could. In just two days, he had repaired nearly forty percent of his dantian. With each deduction, his secondary purple mansion became increasingly agile and skillful, and the repair speed increased accordingly. Therefore, he estimated that at this rate, it would take another three days to fully repair his dantian!
Just as Zhen Su finished his internal examination and was about to continue repairing his dantian, he sensed two familiar figures approaching. He looked up and found that the two people entering the tent were Feng Shuo and Xi Luo.
After bowing to the King of Zhen, the two glanced at Zhen Su standing to the side. Feng Shuo blinked, while Xi Luo nodded slightly, somewhat reservedly.
Shinjuku raised his eyebrows slightly in response.
Then Feng Shuo reported the information he had obtained from Langcheng.
"Your Majesty, the two secret passages connecting Langcheng to Yuncheng and Tianhe City were destroyed by gunpowder the night before last."
Upon hearing this, the officers in charge of the tent immediately erupted in uproar.
The King of Poison swept his gaze across the crowd, and everyone immediately fell silent.
Then Feng Shuo continued, "The traitors have been captured. Fortunately, the secret passage was only blocked by bricks and stones and did not collapse seriously. After the blockage was cleared, the grain and medicine transferred from outside arrived last night, enough to supply the city for a month."
The generals finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"A cornered dog will jump over the wall; there's nothing to fear," the King of Poison said calmly, then changed the subject, "How is General Rhinoceros doing now?"
“My father, no, the General is still in good health, but…” Feng Shuo hesitated.
The King of Poison dismissed his attendants, leaving only four people in the tent.
Then, Feng Shuo revealed, "My father can't sleep at night..."
King Zhen was not surprised. General Xi had experienced the deaths of his elder brother, parents, and adopted son. It was only natural that he was in a state of mental exhaustion and unable to sleep.
However, Feng Shuo then said, "My father always hears strange noises at night. Sometimes it is crying, and sometimes it is a sharp scraping sound. My father is very disturbed by it, but he asks everyone around him and no one can hear it. It seems that only he can hear it."
"This is so strange..." King Zhen's expression turned solemn.
“My father has always been reluctant to seek medical help, fearing that medicine will harm his mind, so he refuses to drink any calming tonics. But when he can’t sleep, his spirits become quite low. I am worried that my father will not be able to hold on, but I am even more concerned about whether it will affect his ability to fight tomorrow.” After Feng Shuo finished speaking, his brows were already furrowed like mountains, and his eyes were filled with deep sorrow.
"Is it an auditory hallucination...?" Even the King of Poison was unsure.
At this moment, Shinjuku suddenly spoke up, "Perhaps someone has used the sound barrier."
"What is the sound barrier?" Feng Shuo asked in astonishment.
Upon hearing this, Xi Luo's eyes widened immediately, and he hurriedly explained, "The Sound Barrier is a unique technique of the Sound Recording Sect in the martial arts world, which can create a sound barrier using internal force..."
A moment later, a knowing look flashed in Feng Shuo's and the Poison King's eyes.
"But I haven't seen it with my own eyes yet. Have you seen it, sir? Is this technique really not just a rumor?" When Xi Luo asked Zhen Su this question, his eyes lit up with tiny glints, unable to hide his excitement.
King Zhen also turned his head to look at Shinju, seemingly lost in thought.
Masakatsu couldn't lie and say that he had only heard about it, because they would probably find it hard to believe his subsequent deductions and thus take action against General Ryu. So Masakatsu could only nod and say, "I met him in the capital."
He then added, "As long as a sound barrier is set up around General Rhinoceros, and the person casting the spell hides inside the sound barrier and makes strange noises, then those outside the sound barrier will not be able to hear it."
"You mean, that person is also within the sound barrier?! That means he's very close to my father? How could my father or someone else not have noticed?" Feng Shuo exclaimed in surprise.
Shinjuku thought for a moment and said, "It should be on the eaves."
Upon hearing this, Feng Shuo's pupils shrank sharply, and he and Xi Luo exchanged a quick glance, a surge of shock rising in their hearts.
The two men's reactions did not escape the eyes of the King of Zhen. What the King of Zhen did not understand was that, although there were still many points that needed to be discussed, these two men seemed to have a firm belief in the words of the True Monk, so there must be something hidden here. So the King of Zhen narrowed his phoenix eyes and said in a low voice, "This concerns the lives of your fathers. If there is anything to hide, you only have this one chance to confess. Otherwise, no one can bear the consequences."
"Your Majesty!! Please, please believe my father! He was merely misled by the sorcery and had absolutely no intention of betraying us!" Feng Shuo and Xi Luo both knelt down, and then Feng Shuo explained in a trembling voice, "...My father heard 'divine pronouncements' twice. The voice tricked him into opening the city gates, claiming some kind of 'divine protection.' Most importantly, that voice... came from the top of the tower!"
When General Xi mentioned this matter to his strategist, his two younger brothers overheard it and later learned of the strange events that had occurred. If the King of Zhen had arranged for his second aunt to arrive even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The Xi family would likely have never recovered, and the entire city would have become a living hell.
The King of Zhen remained silent. Feng Shuo began to regret his impulsiveness. Although his father had not committed a grave mistake, it did not mean that the King of Zhen would not pursue the matter. Whether it was based on actions or intentions, it all depended on the king's whim.
When Shinju heard the term "Shōjin," it sounded familiar, and he immediately thought of the events in Wuzhen.
The omen of the gods... Could it be that the Yun Guang Taoist Temple was behind this too?!
The King of Zhen seemed to have the same thought as him, and secretly cast a glance at him. He then returned the King of Zhen's gaze with a deliberately fierce expression to show his anger.
The slightly pursed lips, the slightly puffed cheeks, and the eyebrows that were pressed together yet still exuded a heroic air—in the eyes of the King of Zhen, they were simply adorable. It wasn't until he saw Shinju make a throat-cutting gesture that the King of Zhen understood Shinju's meaning.
—To gather the hidden light.
The King of Poison blinked very slowly, and the languid calmness in his eyes made Shinju's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, feel as if it had been supported by a pair of hands and steadily returned to its original place.
The King of Zhen turned to Feng Shuo and said, "No one is perfect. I also bear responsibility for putting Tongzhao in such a predicament."
Feng Shuo suddenly looked up, his fingers, which were tightly gripping his knees, gradually loosened.
"I only hope that you can hold on to your last line of defense." The King of Zhen spoke vaguely, but Zhen Su understood. The King of Zhen had already accepted Feng Shuo as the successor of General Xi.
"I will heed Your Majesty's teachings and will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations." Feng Shuo kowtowed deeply.
.
Night fell, and the night wind was biting. Tomorrow was the day to go to war with the Maple Kingdom, and the Poison King rarely mentioned to Masakatsu that he wanted to take a bath.
Since arriving at the frontier, the King of Poison has been extremely busy for many days, and water is scarce, so he has mostly just wiped himself down. This mention of bathing clearly refers to a proper soaking in a tub.
So Shinjuku brought out a bath tub and placed it in the tent.
Then the King of Poison asked him to retrieve a jade bottle carved with dragon patterns from his luggage.
Shinju returned to the chariot formation and searched for a while before finally finding a small jade bottle. It was entirely white, and the flying clouds under the claws on the bottle were carved based on the purple cotton-like material inside the jade, making the dragon lifelike, as if riding on purple mist, and faintly revealing its fierce power.
Shinju thought to himself, "This must be it."
He was walking back with the jade bottle when, before he could enter the tent, he was summoned inside by the Poison King.
In the bathtub, King Zhen rested one hand on the rim of the tub and used the other to brush the wet hair from his forehead behind his head, revealing his deep, dark phoenix eyes, which were as black as lacquer. His gaze was fixed on Masaki's face as he asked, "Did you bring the oil bottle?"
"An oil bottle? Is there oil in this?" Shinjuku picked up the bottle and looked at it in confusion.
The Prince of Zhen's lips suddenly curled into a slightly wicked smile, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. "Dragon's saliva oil. Before each battle, I apply it all over my body before going to sleep."
At this moment, Shinjuku was still unaware of the problem and was nodding, saying, "I see."
However, the next moment, he saw the King of Zhen stand up from the bath with his back turned, his voice unusually hoarse, "Little Qingzi, come and apply the ointment for me."
"ah?"
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Author's Note: I really like Qingbao's line—"Huh?"
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