Chapter 34 Night Out for Two: Not Necessarily Necessary, But Must Be Known.
Gu Huizhou promised to teach Yao Ruyi swordsmanship and he would never break his word. Yao Ruyi didn't see Gu Huizhou until dinner time. He was reading a book on the bed when he saw Gu Huizhou stride in from outside the door.
Cui Xiangzhu followed behind and suddenly said loudly as he passed him, "Your Majesty hasn't even had lunch yet. Is there anything you'd like to eat for dinner?"
"Cui Xiangzhu, are you getting old?" Gu Huizhou, sitting on the dragon throne, rubbed his temples. "Didn't I already ask that half an hour ago?"
The head eunuch smiled and said, "This servant has truly forgotten. Your Majesty, please wait. This servant will prepare the meal immediately."
He's really showing his eyes and eyebrows to a blind man.
Upon hearing this, Yao Ru immediately went to find Thirteen. His Majesty hadn't eaten yet because he was taking him to practice swordsmanship. If Yao Ru stayed here watching, wouldn't that be blatantly urging him to eat?
Mushroom took his sword to find Thirteen. He planned to practice swordsmanship later, and he took the opportunity to wipe the blade with the oil he had given Thirteen the day before to see if it was working well.
"Nineteen?" Thirteen smiled immediately when he saw him. "Thank you, Nineteen. I just used the oil and cream you gave me to polish my sword. It's so fast and shiny now."
I'd like to try it too.
"Here, I happen to have a handkerchief." The two chatted about wiping their swords for a while, and seeing that it was almost time, Yao Ruyi and Thirteen waved their hands, "I'll go back first."
Thirteen responded, "Go, His Majesty forbade us to follow today."
"Follow?" Yao Ruyi was taken aback. "Where is Your Majesty going?"
Thirteen chuckled, "I don't know about that. I should take you there. Go back now."
"good."
If we're not going to practice swordsmanship today, where else should we go?
Yao Ruyi walked quickly back to the Cloud Palace. As soon as she entered, she saw Gu Huizhou leisurely practicing calligraphy at his desk. "The Nineteenth Lord has finally decided to come back?" He slowly raised his eyes and saw a hint of resentment in his gaze as he looked at Yao Ruyi.
"Your Majesty, you eat so fast."
"Heh. Did I interrupt your late-night conversation with your thirteenth brother?"
What kind of talk is this? Yao Ruyi pretended not to hear and was not going to argue with him. She turned around and asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, are you going out later? Thirteen said you would take me out."
"Okay, let's go."
Without giving Yao Ruyi time to react, Gu Huizhou picked up his sword from a nearby shelf and turned to leave the Cloud Palace. Yao Ruyi stood there for a while before finally moving.
The two walked out of the Cloud Palace. The Cloud Palace's corridor was straight and long, and at night it seemed to have no end. Whenever Yao Ruyi walked here, she felt that she would never reach the end.
But now, following behind Gu Huizhou, he watched the emperor's robes sway back and forth, and when he looked up again, the two of them were already outside the Cloud Palace.
A figure approached from afar on the palace road. Cui Xiangzhu, leading two horses, handed them over to the two men with a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant will take his leave now."
"Um."
Gu Huizhou leaped onto a horse. Looking down at Yao Ruyi, he raised his head and said, "Mount up."
Yao Ruyi nodded and mounted another horse, the same one she had ridden to the temple last time. Yao Ruyi smiled and patted its head, "Let's go, Your Majesty."
There were few people on the palace road, and even the patrolling imperial guards were easily evaded by Gu Huizhou.
Gu Huizhou led him out of the palace through a side gate, and they sped along the outer road. The wind whistled in their ears, but Yao Ruyi, following the emperor, didn't think about anything. He loved the feeling of the wind hitting his face. Back in Qinghua Mountain, he had enjoyed the feeling of the cold wind blowing unhindered against his face in winter when the leaves had all fallen.
That feeling of freedom was what he loved most when he was a mushroom, and he still loves it now.
Mushroom's eyes lit up. He noticed that Gu Huizhou's horse was a bit bigger than his, and the emperor was already taller than him. Yao Ruyi secretly pursed her lips. So what if he's taller?
He then straightened up silently. The sound of the wind carried the rustling of leaves falling, and seemed to be mixed with a man's pleasant laughter.
The two rode for about an hour. Gu Huizhou slowed down and rode leisurely, as if he were just out for a stroll.
The young emperor was dressed in a striking red robe, which shone even in the night. His hair was casually tied up and draped over his shoulders, and several gold-trimmed pendants adorned his waist. From a distance, he didn't look like an emperor of any country at first glance, but rather like a wealthy young master from a noble family in Jiangnan.
Yao Ruyi couldn't help but glance at him several times. On the tall black horse, a man looked relaxed as he slowly rode his horse through the woods.
He couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, where are we going?"
Gu Huizhou chuckled. "Let's go up the mountain."
On the mountain?
Yao Ruyi was stunned for a moment, but the next second she heard a shout, "Giddy up!" The person next to her rushed out quickly, and Mushroom hurriedly patted the head of the horse under him, "Quick, quick, keep up!"
The two rode up the slope and finally came to a stop on a small hill. This hill was not high, less than half the height of the one where Yun Temple was last time, and its terrain was gentle, which allowed the two to ride up so smoothly.
The shadows of the trees in the woods swayed in the moonlight at night, casting dappled patterns on the man's face, revealing the shadows of his eyelashes beneath his eyes. Yao Ruyi found him handsome and blinked several times. "Your Majesty."
"Um?"
Can you see the shadow of my eyelashes under my eyes?
Gu Huizhou frowned. What were they looking at? But he still glanced over. The mushroom's appearance was indeed quite handsome; its eyes always held a lively spirit, even under the moonlight. Its nose was straight and high, with the bone structure of a young man, and its lips were rosy and soft…
"His Majesty?"
"have."
Yao Ruyi felt that he hadn't looked at it carefully, but it was good that it was there.
Shall we begin?
Gu Huizhou nodded. "Mm."
Yao Ruyi stepped back. "Your Majesty, please begin."
To everyone's surprise, Gu Huizhou simply hung the sword at his waist, turned around, took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured some medicine powder on the ground, and said, "Wait here."
Yao Ruyi still doesn't understand why the emperor brought him out, and he continues to wait.
He crouched down, hugged the sword to his chest, poked at the soft, damp soil on the ground, then picked out a piece and smelled it. It looked like it tasted good, but it wasn't fragrant.
Mushroom didn't think much of it, but since he had some free time, he was going to give it a try.
Just as he reached for his mouth, he was suddenly lifted up. "Ugh—"
Gu Huizhou pulled the person up and held them still. Their shadows overlapped in the moonlight. He frowned and asked, "Who taught you to eat everything?"
What's wrong with him, a mushroom, eating a couple of mouthfuls of dirt? "I'm supposed to eat it anyway—"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Gu Huizhou frown with extreme disgust, grab his wrist and shake it hard several times. The clod of dirt on his fingers was flung away without a trace, and Yao Ruyi's sleeves were also in disarray, with several layers of sleeves fluttering and folding. He watched as Gu Huizhou took out a kettle from somewhere and poured water into his hand to rinse it a couple of times.
He then wiped it clean with his own robe.
"If I see you eating dirt again, you'll be in jail for three days..."
"No food allowed for a whole day."
Yao Ruyi gave an "oh," though he didn't actually like it that much to begin with.
"They're here."
Yao Ruyi turned his head. The sound of the night wind was mixed with the sound of faint yet dense footsteps. He turned his head warily and suddenly saw small creatures emerge from the jungle. He quickly retreated.
Rabbits, pheasants, snakes, and field mice...
Dozens of different kinds of animals rushed toward the pile of white powder at once, burying their heads in it as if they had gone mad.
"This is……"
"Take up your sword."
Yao Ruyi was taken aback, but in an instant she saw Gu Huizhou use his sword to pick up a pheasant and throw it at her, "Your Majesty!"
Yao Ruyi hurriedly dodged, "What are you doing?"
The chicken fell to the ground and then immediately headed towards the pile of powder.
"I'll teach you how to use a sword."
The man in the red robe glanced at the group of animals, swung his long sword, and with a "whoosh," a snake flew into the air and was instantly cut into three pieces. The man's brows and eyes showed no emotion, but a hint of excitement was hidden in them.
So His Majesty brought him up the mountain to practice swordsmanship using these live animals...
"Your Majesty, why not use stone or wood?" Yao Ruyi asked loudly, his brows furrowed in shock.
Gu Huizhou laughed, "Use stones and wood? Then when the Immortal Lord encounters an assassin in the future, he won't show mercy?"
Yao Ruyi remained silent. He heard another sound of a long sword slicing through the air, followed by a sharp "squeak."
A field mouse landed on my foot.
The man shouted sharply, "Sword!"
No.
Their eyes met, and Yao Ruyi saw a fierce glint in the other's eyes. Instead of a gentle smile, his face was serious—something Yao Ruyi had never seen before. "I won't—"
"Heh." The man sneered, looking at the stubborn face of the stupid mushroom, and said in a sinister tone, "Even if you don't, I will kill them all today."
"Whoosh—"
A grayish-white rabbit was cleaved in two by the longsword, its blood splattering onto Yao Ruyi's face. Startled by the scalding blood, he took two steps back.
Mushroom frowned. "Your Majesty."
"Yu Ruyi, swing your sword."
"Whoosh—"
"Hmm—"
Her wrist was gripped, the strength of which made it impossible for her to resist. Yao Ruyi felt her wrist being held, and she swung her long sword forward with force.
He couldn't refute it at all!
"Whoosh—"
"squeak--"
A field mouse fell to the ground and died.
Yao Ruyi stared blankly at the scene, panting heavily. He turned to meet Gu Huizhou's eyes, who smiled and asked, "Is it alright?"
My hand was still being held, raised and waved, raised again and waved again...
Yao Ruyi wanted to look down, but then she saw the corpse on the ground, broken in two.
The footsteps faded into the distance as he stood still in the same spot. He raised his longsword again, and Yao Ruyi instinctively closed her eyes, but the sword in her hand moved in response, and a few drops of blood splattered onto her face once more.
"Good mushroom."
Yao Ruyi slowly opened his eyes. He could still hear his own breathing, and he did just that...
"Only by killing these living creatures with a single sword stroke can you truly do them a favor." The man's eyes clearly stated, "I will kill them all anyway."
"then!"
"Whoosh—"
His breathing grew heavier and heavier, and his bright eyes shifted from initial fear and guilt to calm and composure. His hands, gripping the sword hilt, began to tremble, and sweat dripped from his forehead, gathering at the tip of his nose before falling to the ground.
Three hours of sword wielding had already exhausted her wrists, but when she saw something flash by, Yao Ruyi still swung her sword with all her might.
"Whoosh—"
Gu Huizhou nodded. Those dozens of living creatures were all dead long ago; what was being thrown into the air now were just corpses.
Watching Yao Ruyi strike again and again, his fair face showed numbness in addition to the blood, a numbness he felt towards those cold, lifeless things.
"come over."
Yao Ruyi looked up blankly, said "Oh," and quietly walked over.
"Clang—" The long sword slipped from Yao Ruyi's hand and fell to the ground just as she stood still beside Gu Huizhou.
Even Yao Ruyi was startled. He suddenly stepped back, his back bumping into the emperor's arms. "What are you doing?"
"The sword has fallen."
"Um."
Gu Huizhou grabbed the person's hand. The hands were long and fair, but now they were covered with the dried blood of countless animals, the red staining the whiteness.
For a moment, the emperor was stunned; he was utterly wicked. Unable to keep his own hands clean, he decided to taint this perfectly clean mushroom with its own taint.
"Oh."
He chuckled softly, then, no longer caring about the dirt, he vigorously rubbed Yao Ruyi's hands with his large hands. The dried blood on his hands clumped into small pieces and fell down. Yao Ruyi felt soreness and wanted to pull her hands back.
However, he was stopped by a single look from Gu Huizhou, so he could only hold back.
"Hmm—"
"Go back and soak it in hot water."
The sky was already beginning to brighten, but Gu Huizhou had no intention of going back yet. He picked up a pheasant and plucked its feathers clean in a few quick movements.
He casually picked up a few pieces of wood from the ground, skewered them on the pheasant, and flickered sparks from the tinderbox. Flames rose from the wood and shone on the emperor's face.
"come over."
Yao Ruyi sat obediently to one side, still not calmed down, doing whatever he was told.
Gu Huizhou handed him the chicken and roasted another one for himself.
As the sky grew brighter, Yao Ruyi swallowed hard, smelling the aroma of chicken. "Your Majesty, must I kill someone?"
The man's hands didn't stop; he skillfully slashed the chicken's body with the dagger he carried.
"If Your Majesty wishes to cultivate and become an immortal, you should return to your Qinghua Mountain." He paused, turned to look at Yao Ruyi, and said, "You'd better be careful now that you're by my side."
You don't necessarily have to, but you must know how.
Yao Ruyi understood, "Oh, can we eat now?"
It's almost done roasting; if it's roasted any longer, it'll burn. Gu Huizhou nodded. "Why don't we see the Immortal Lord showing this much affection for this beast these days?"
Yao Ruyi had just taken a bite when she thought, "..."
The two of them each ate a chicken, and half of their fatigue from the night dissipated. Yao Ruyi had seen a few houses at the foot of the mountain last night, so she strung the edible pheasants and rabbits on a piece of wood, intending to throw them at someone's doorstep.
It should last for a few days.
The two mounted their horses, and as dawn broke, Yao Ruyi suddenly remembered that the emperor had to attend the morning court session. "Your Majesty," she asked, "is it still possible for him to attend court?"
"It's too late."
"That……"
"Let them wait."
Yao Ruyi remained silent, pursing his lips. He now felt that Gu Huizhou sometimes didn't seem like an emperor, but rather like a bandit leader in the mountains.
The two rode their horses down the mountain and could see smoke rising from the chimneys of several houses early in the morning.
Never before had she seen this scene outside the palace in the morning. It evoked the image of a peaceful and prosperous era, and Yao Ruyi felt a surge of joy as she looked at it.
"Your Majesty, the entire city, and the entire Yun Kingdom, will be like this from now on."
Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Uh-huh!"
A soft chuckle. "Hurry up."
"good."
The two had just come down from the mountain when they turned around and saw a dozen or so figures walking haphazardly along the path on the other side. The way they walked and their figures were very similar to the refugees that Yao Ruyi had seen that day. He frowned as he looked at them.
That group of people rushed into a house before he did.
A moment later—
Yao Ruyi immediately spurred her horse forward, and Gu Huizhou followed closely behind.
"Put her down! Put my daughter down!"
"Food, all the food is yours! Hurry up and leave! Go now—"
A woman rushed out of the room hysterically. She was thin and short, and there was a huge difference in size between her and the group of men, but she still rushed out without hesitation and got into a fight with a refugee.
"mother!"
"mother!"
The little girl, about six or seven years old, was being held by the refugee who was slovenly and had dirty hair. His eyes were shining as he stared at the little girl's steamed bun.
He grabbed the little girl in his arms and rushed out, laughing as he tried to bite the steamed bun in her hand.
Only when the woman rushed out and got entangled with him did he spare some attention for the woman beside him.
"Get out of here, you filthy bitch!"
"Put my daughter down! Take whatever food you want!"
The other dozen or so men were rummaging through the yard and houses, some of them holding leftover steamed buns from inside the houses, wolfing them down, shouting, "Mine! Mine!"
"ah--"
The woman gasped in surprise, and a man behind her, grinning foolishly, hugged her tightly against his body.
Yao Ruyi disregarded everything else and struck the man with the hilt of her sword. The woman quickly got up, stepped forward, and hugged her child, ignoring everyone else.
Startled, she hid behind Yao Ruyi, saying, "Thank you so much, young master!"
Gu Huizhou also came up. He looked at the group of refugees with a cold expression. They were all able-bodied and had hands and feet. Even if they had no land or house, they were not necessarily starving.
"You two bastards! Get out of my way!"
The man glared fiercely at the two of them. His gaze swept over Yao Ruyi's fair face, then landed on the pendant hanging from Gu Huizhou's waist. He muttered to himself, "Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Heaven has been kind to them today!
"Brothers, these two young masters have brought us food today!"
"Take them down, and we'll go to a restaurant for a good meal today!"
"Take it down!"
The woman retreated, her face pale and filled with worry as she looked at the two handsome young men. "You, you should leave quickly!"
"How can we let the young master suffer because of our mother and daughter..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Huizhou could understand everything from those greedy eyes, especially the gazes fixed on the stupid mushroom, which disgusted him.
The leading man roared and slammed his strong body down on Yao Ruyi. Yao Ruyi nimbly dodged, her long sword still sheathed, but she swung it hard at the man's knee with a clang.
"ah!"
The man rolled to the ground. Yao Ruyi glared at him fiercely, but before he could think, he was met by another person.
There were many people that day, but today there are only a dozen or so. Yao Ruyi can deal with them easily, especially since he has just practiced his sword all night.
"ah!"
The last refugee fell to the ground, but Gu Huizhou didn't even move.
"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"
Yao Ruyi turned around and tossed a string of chickens and rabbits to the woman, saying, "Here you go."
The woman was taken aback for a moment, then quickly thanked him, "Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!" Her voice was trembling with emotion as she thanked him. She dared not say anything polite, for she was afraid that if she did, the young man in white would really not give it to her.
The dozen or so refugees stood up, giving Yao Ruyi a vicious look. When they looked at Gu Huizhou, they saw that the man was staring at them expressionlessly, his eyes filled with a deep killing intent. The pretty boy hadn't drawn his sword just now.
If it were this man in the red robe, they would be...
What bad luck! Let's go!
The woman quickly stepped aside, crouched down, hugged her daughter, and huddled to the side. She also reached out to block the chickens and rabbits at her feet, afraid they would be snatched away again.
They hadn't eaten meat for months.
The group of refugees finally disappeared, and the woman collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, "Thank you, thank you, young master."
The little girl, whose eyes had been covered by the woman, looked up at the two of them in a daze and timidly said, "Thank you, brother."
Gu Huizhou turned around and said, "I'm leaving."
The two mounted their horses again, and Yao Ruyi kept looking back in that direction, saying, "Your Majesty, those dozen or so men will come to plunder this family again in the future."
Gu Huizhou: "Mm."
"Then why don't we..."
Gu Huizhou sneered, "When you, Immortal Lord, are showing compassion for the world, please use your brain."
Yao Ruyi murmured, "Why don't you use your brain?"
"Could it be that the Immortal Lord intends to bring them all back to the capital one by one? Is the capital a refugee camp?"
Yao Ruyi fell silent. It seemed he hadn't been thinking at all. He then asked, "Your Majesty, is it still possible for you to attend the morning court session?"
"drive!"
Inside the palace, the two entered through a side gate when it was already broad daylight. Gu Huizhou changed his clothes at the Yun Palace and immediately went to court. Yao Ruyi yawned; usually, the emperor would have already left court for the Imperial Study to handle state affairs by this time.
He changed his clothes and took a shower, finally getting rid of the bloody smell. He lay in bed for two hours, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that Gu Huizhou had returned.
He was sitting in his seat handling state affairs when he said, "Your Majesty."
"Um."
Yao Ruyi got up and went out on his own. He went to find Thirteen for lunch. The two ate and chatted. "Thirteen, how does His Majesty plan to deal with the refugees inside and outside the city?"
Thirteen shook his head. "We won't interfere in His Majesty's political affairs. But His Majesty will not ignore these matters, so why are you worrying about them?" As he spoke, he took out a piece of candy from his pocket. "Try this."
"tasty!"
Thirteen snorted, "I got it from Twelve this morning."
He sighed, "Sometimes I think this job of Twelve is really not bad. All day long I watch girls with heavy or light makeup chatting and laughing, listen to music and drink tea, and there are all kinds of food."
"Then why didn't you go with him?"
Thirteen's longing expression immediately stopped. He couldn't stand Twelve swaying his waist and sitting on the young masters. "The most capable should be the one to sit on them."
Yao Ruyi smiled and said, "I'm done eating. I'm going to find my teacher to study now."
Thirteen nodded, "Yes, I hope you pass the imperial examinations soon. Nineteen is the most capable among us brothers."
Yao Ruyi nodded, turned around and left.
He strolled slowly toward the Cloud Palace, passing through that long corridor. Last night, when he walked with the Emperor, the corridor seemed a little short. Today, it seemed longer.
Looking down at the hem of her dress, she nearly bumped into someone when she looked up again. "Ouch—"
"Watch where you're going."
Yao Ruyi hummed in agreement.
What is Your Majesty going there for?
"Approving memorials."
Yao Ruyi frowned. He had slept for two hours that morning, but His Majesty hadn't rested at all. "Doesn't Your Majesty want to rest for a while?"
Gu Huizhou snorted coldly, "If we don't deal with the refugee issue soon, someone will come up with some incredibly stupid ideas again."
The emperor, dressed in a long black robe, strode away. Cui Xiangzhu quickly smiled obsequiously at Yao Ruyi, "There are some snacks sent from the imperial kitchen in the palace. Your Highness, please go and have a taste."
Yao Ruyi: "...Okay."
He turned to head towards the main hall, but before he could reach it, Wang Qianshan from the side hall called out to him, "Ahem—Young Master, I am here."
The mushroom turned its head. "Coming."
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