Chapter 33 Another Miracle
Qin Xiao stared at those restless hands for a couple of moments, as if trying to accept reality, before looking up at Chu Jiubian again.
The room was quiet.
Baili Hong blinked his big, round eyes, looked at his uncle, then at his teacher, and then turned and ran outside.
Soon, a child's voice came from the outer room, saying in a childish voice, "Little Eunuch Hong, the master has woken up. Please serve the meal quickly."
From the child's perspective, it seemed that the teacher was sleeping soundly when his uncle suddenly woke him up.
The gentleman looked on with anger and grabbed his uncle's collar.
I'm afraid a fight might break out!
Baili Hong knew that some people would get angry if they didn't get enough sleep, like his mother. In the past, if she didn't get enough sleep, she would be unhappy all day and wouldn't give anyone face.
I felt better only after eating my favorite pastries.
So hurry up and prepare some good food for your husband, so he won't be angry with his uncle.
Even if a fight did break out, he knew his uncle would definitely give way to the teacher.
The gentleman was frail and always got injured, while the uncle was highly skilled in martial arts and was unharmed even when the gentleman accidentally hit him a few times.
Of course, it would be best if the two of them didn't argue, and Baili Hong was trying his best to have the meal served quickly.
Inside the room, the stagnant atmosphere was somewhat dispelled by the children's voices.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiaoyou stared into each other's deep eyes. Seeing that the other party did not react much, Chu Jiubian's competitive spirit was immediately aroused.
The wicked tendencies hidden within his personality stirred, and his hand, which had been covering the man's chest muscles, moved, slowly reaching downwards.
As soon as his fingertips touched the hard abdominal muscles, he could clearly feel the man's body tense up even more.
Chu Jiubian chuckled softly, only to see Qin Xiao also smile.
Qin Xiao released his grip on Chu Jiubian's nose, then grabbed the young man's slender wrist to stop him from continuing.
Both of Chu Jiubian's wrists were gently gripped, and he could easily pull them back, but he didn't move. Instead, his smile deepened, and a hint of pleasure appeared in his usually indifferent eyes.
"What's wrong with touching it?" he asked lightly. "Are you shy?"
With a slight exertion, Qin Xiao pressed the young man's arms against the pillow.
Then he bent one knee and pressed down on the young man's leg, and pressed down on himself as well, instantly shortening the distance between the two to an ambiguous yet non-offensive distance.
"What is your status now, young master?" the man's deep voice rang out.
Chu Jiubian countered, "What do you think my status is?"
"After all, they're not gods."
"You still don't believe me?" Chu Jiubian asked, somewhat surprised.
He thought that once he took out the iron pot, the other party would already believe him to a large extent, and with those few shots that shocked the entire capital, they would definitely believe him to a large extent.
But now it seems that Qin Xiao still doesn't believe him.
Qin Xiao gently stroked the skin on the inside of his wrist with his fingertips, and said meaningfully, "How can I trust you in this situation?"
Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at his left wrist, and his fingertips suddenly trembled slightly.
"Believe it or not." He pushed Qin Xiao away, sat up, put on his boots, and walked out without looking back.
The tall, slender figure of the young man disappeared behind the screen.
Qin Xiao gazed at the ink wash landscape painting on the screen, gently stroking his fingertips.
The touch on his hand didn't lie; he had just felt several rough scars on the inside of the young man's left wrist.
Qin Xiao was not a scholar, so he naturally knew which parts of a person's body could be fatally injured.
Besides the heart, throat, and other well-known organs, there are also the thighs and wrists.
He recalled the last time, the bloodstains on Chu Jiubian's inner garment and the fleeting glimpse of the intersecting scars.
If he were a deity, why would he have so many scars?
Was it an injury sustained before becoming a god?
What had Chu Jiubian experienced before?
Chu Jiubian walked to the outer room, a hint of solemnity in his light-colored pupils.
These injuries have been with him for so many years, new wounds covering old ones, he's gotten used to them.
He even instinctively felt that it was a very normal thing, and in order to avoid picking at those scars, he always deliberately ignored them.
His agent had suggested he have surgery multiple times, but he always refused, preferring to add a requirement that he not show skin when accepting roles rather than change his mind.
It wasn't until just now, when Qin Xiao questioned his divine status because of the scars on his wrist, that he suddenly realized this was a huge loophole.
No one dictates what gods should be like, but in the public's mind, gods should be noble and aloof, looking down on all living beings from a high place.
That's why Chu Jiubian's identity as a "deity" was so hard to accept in the capital.
Because people feel that gods shouldn't descend to earth, or rather, shouldn't appear beside them and become a tangible "person".
Of course, immortals can have experiences before becoming gods and leave behind poems like "The Road to Shu is Hard," but after becoming immortals, they should no longer have such sighs and laments, and they should not have scars all over their bodies.
Chu Jiubian habitually picked at the scar on his wrist a couple of times, then suddenly stopped.
"System, is there any medicine that can remove scars?" he asked in his mind.
[Thirteen scar removal medications have been found for the host. Given the large number of scars on the host's body, and the varying ages of the scars, the third scar removal ointment is recommended. It is the fastest-acting and can make all the scars on the host's body disappear without a trace within a month, making the host look brand new. Only thirteen faith points are required.]
Chu Jiubian didn't even blink: "Buy it."
This is a necessary investment.
The medicine was put into the system warehouse, and Chu Jiubian's tense nerves relaxed.
Wasn't Qin Xiao concerned about his scar?
Once the scars are gone, he'll show Qin Xiao what truly divine skin looks like!
"Sir," Baili Hong peeked out from the doorway of the outer room and said obediently, "It's time to eat."
Chu Jiubian raised his eyebrows.
He felt the child was a little timid, and seemed even more well-behaved than before.
He walked over, intending to ask if something had happened, when he saw the child seem to breathe a sigh of relief and was jumping around again.
Chu Jiubian: "?"
Bai Lihong was initially worried that his master would be angry, but now it seems he isn't, and he's relieved.
Previously, when his mother was angry, he dared not say much and had to behave even more obediently.
Then the Empress Dowager would be amused by his cautious manner and would hug and kiss him affectionately.
Thinking of this, the child's expression turned disappointed for a moment.
But only for a moment, and he calmed down again.
His mother said he should be brave and strong, and he can do it!
Seeing the child's alternating happy and sad expressions, Chu Jiubian guessed that the child was probably missing his mother again.
He bought a bag of fruit candies suitable for children from his system space, then took out an apple-flavored one, removed the wrapper, and magically produced it, placing it in the child's palm: "This is candy that the master brought from the immortal realm. Your Majesty, please try it."
Baili Hong raised his little hand, smelled the round candy in his palm, and his eyes lit up: "It smells so good, and it's sweet."
No child dislikes sweets, not even an emperor.
The child looked behind Chu Jiubian and said, "Uncle, the candy the teacher gave me smells so good, can I have a little bite?"
Qin Xiao kept an eye on him and didn't let him eat candy much.
Chu Jiubian turned around and saw the man come out, so he reached out and took the candy from the child's hand.
The candy was hard candy. He took out a clean handkerchief, wrapped it up, walked to the table, and smashed it with a vase.
Baili Hong held his little hands to his chest, staring blankly as his teacher performed a series of actions, and then the candy returned to his little palm.
Unlike before, the candy was now spread on a handkerchief, broken into many small pieces, one of which was eaten by the husband.
Does the gentleman also want some candy?
Baili Hong blinked his innocent, clear eyes, looking at him curiously, then at his uncle.
Qin Xiao saw this scene as soon as he came out of the inner room and immediately understood what Chu Jiubian was doing.
The other person was telling him that the candy wasn't poisonous.
"Let's eat the candy after we finish our meal," Qin Xiao said to Baili Hong.
Baili Hong readily agreed and carefully put the handkerchief away in his pocket.
Qin Xiao glanced at Chu Jiubian's expression again, but couldn't discern anything, and was instead somewhat unsure.
Chu Jiubian really didn't have any other thoughts; he felt that it was right for Qin Xiao to be cautious.
If someone suddenly appeared and approached Baili Hong, offering him food and drink, Chu Jiubian would also become suspicious.
However, he won't show it like Qin Xiao; he'll just need to use the system to check.
He took it for granted, not noticing Qin Xiao's unnatural expression.
The three of them sat down at the dining table.
Today's meal was prepared by Granny Zhong and her apprentices from the Imperial Kitchen. Knowing that Qin Xiao and Baili Hong would be dining at Yaotai Residence, they had it delivered.
The cooks in Yaotaiju's small kitchen are now also using iron woks to cook. Although they are not as skilled as Granny Zhong, they can still make quite a few different dishes.
Recently, Chu Jiubian has been eating at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, so the cook's skills have been used more to satisfy Xiao Xiangzi and the others.
The three of them would chat for a while during meals, and the atmosphere was always very pleasant.
But no one spoke up today.
Baili Hong just keeps eating and doesn't need anyone to serve him at all; he's a baby who loves to eat.
However, his mind was now completely on the sweet candy, and he couldn't even hold onto the stir-fried food in his mouth.
Chu Jiubian felt that he had lost his composure in front of Qin Xiao just now.
The phrase "believe it or not" sounds like someone who is angry and embarrassed.
He needed to calm down now, adopt his usual self of having everything under control, and try to make Qin Xiao forget what had just happened in the inner room as soon as possible.
Qin Xiao remained silent, but his gaze kept sweeping over Chu Jiubian's face.
I don't know what I'm thinking.
After finishing half a bowl of rice, Baili Hong rinsed his mouth and asked Eunuch Hong to help him clean his face and hands before looking at Qin Xiao with longing eyes.
"Eat up," Qin Xiao said.
Baili Hong immediately beamed with joy, took out a handkerchief from his bosom, spread it out, and then picked up a smaller fragment and put it in his mouth.
The rich aroma of green apples assaulted his taste buds, and Baili Hong's face was filled with delight.
Such a small baby making this expression is as cute as some furry little animal.
Chu Jiubian couldn't help but laugh, and Qin Xiao was also amused.
"Is it really that delicious?" he asked.
Baili Hong nodded repeatedly and handed the handkerchief to him, saying, "Uncle, have some, it's so sweet."
Qin Xiao actually reached out and grabbed the biggest piece, then put it in his mouth.
Baili Hong: "?!"
He looked at his uncle in disbelief, then at the small piece of candy left in his hand, unable to accept reality.
The biggest one!
He couldn't bear to eat it, but his uncle ate it!
Qin Xiao swirled the candy in his mouth with the tip of his tongue, savoring its rich sweetness, and said, "It is indeed very sweet."
Baili Hong gave a heavy "humph," wrapped the handkerchief up, and stuffed it into his pocket. He mumbled something unintelligible, but it sounded like something like "Uncle is so greedy," and his little mouth was pouting.
Chu Jiubian's expression turned strange for a moment.
Could it be that these two uncles and nephews will fall out over something as trivial as this?
It can't be called a trivial matter.
At this point, Qin Xiao snatching the child's candy might seem insignificant, but as he continues to snatch more and more things, the conflict will naturally escalate.
Chu Jiubian could tell that Qin Xiao truly loved this child.
The reason for grabbing candy is to prevent children from accidentally eating too much and damaging their teeth.
That's true, after all, he's the only bloodline left by his eldest sister, how could he not feel pain?
Even if the child grows up in the future and is no longer on his side, he may not necessarily do anything to the child.
Baili Hong doesn't seem like an ungrateful child, and none of the people around him are unruly servants. With Hong Fu's talent and emotional intelligence, he would definitely not want to see the two of them turn against each other and would try to mediate in every way.
Even without someone like Hong Fu mediating, given Baili Hong's dependence on and admiration for Qin Xiao, he probably wouldn't consider this uncle an enemy.
So why did those two fight so fiercely in the original story?
Is it really true that power can completely distort a person?
Chu Jiubian suddenly thought that he was bound to stay in this world for the rest of his life. So when the little emperor grew up, would he also become someone the other party feared?
And what about Qin Xiao? Could he also turn against him for power and profit?
If they are destined to fall apart in the future, shouldn't he adjust his attitude now and return to the "cooperative" state of being estranged from the two of them?
It seems that both I and they have crossed some lines.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and saw the child's worried eyes as his fingers were held by a small hand.
He smiled slightly and gently squeezed the child's chubby little hand: "Good boy, there's still plenty of candy here, enough for you to eat until you're seventy or eighty."
Baili Hong exclaimed, "Wow! Can I keep asking you for candy, sir?"
"sure."
"Thank you, sir. You're so kind to Miaomiao!"
Qin Xiao nudged the child's shoulder and said, "Be careful not to rot your teeth."
He was afraid that the child would eat too much candy at once, so he ate the biggest piece, which would give the child the confidence to eat candy for the rest of their life.
"I know, I won't eat it every day." The child smiled sweetly.
Eunuch Hong, who was also watching with a smile, said upon hearing this, "Don't worry, my lord, this servant will keep an eye on His Majesty."
Baili Hong nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Eunuch Hong will testify for me."
"Then I can rest assured." Qin Xiao stood up and patted Hong Fu on the shoulder.
Hong Fu and Baili Hong left Yaotai Residence first, intending to walk a little longer to digest their food so they could take a nap when they returned to Yangxin Hall.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao did not go out; instead, they went to the pavilion in the courtyard.
It had been raining for the past few days, and the weather was damp. The rush pith that Chu Jiubian had ordered people to dry was not drying properly, so the tinderbox that was supposed to be made was never completed.
All the materials are finally ready today.
Chu Jiubian bought the method for making tinderboxes from the system and mastered it. He then made them as if he had done them many times before.
The materials have been processed to a near-complete degree. The most important part, the "wick," has been pre-soaked in a mixed solution of saltpeter, sulfur, and other substances. All that's left now is simple assembly.
Xiao Jinzi took a little fire and placed it on the table. Then he stepped back and stood with the others, observing Chu Jiubian's techniques from a distance.
Qin Xiao sat opposite Chu Jiubian and watched as the young man's slender, even fingers moved deftly, rolling the already unrecognizable rush into a strip and then wrapping it in oiled paper.
Then, he grasped a bamboo tube about the thickness of a thumb and slowly placed the rush pith wrapped in oiled paper into the tube.
Qin Xiao's gaze moved downwards, from the youth's slightly pink fingertips to the protruding wrist bone.
As if intentionally, Chu Jiubian did not let him see the scarred inner wrist.
Qin Xiao raised his eyes again and met Chu Jiubian's seemingly amused gaze.
"Look at this?" Chu Jiubian actually showed off his wrist quite openly.
Qin Xiao was taken aback, and when he looked down, he saw those messy, crisscrossing old scars.
One on top of another, there are roughly five or six of them.
And look at the trajectory of the blade, it seems to be...
Qin Xiao frowned slightly.
These injuries were inflicted by Chu Jiubian himself.
Chu Jiubian flipped his wrist back and used the bamboo tube filled with rush pith to collect some fire from the charcoal brazier beside him.
Once the rush pith was lit, he put the bamboo tube lid on.
"The path to godhood is never smooth sailing." Chu Jiubian looked up at Qin Xiao, his expression calm and collected. "People have to die before they have a chance to become gods."
Qin Xiao gave him a deep look, but didn't reply. Instead, he looked down at the bamboo tube in the man's hand and asked, "What's this called?"
"Tinderbox".
What is it used for?
Chu Jiubian removed the lid from the bamboo tube and held it to his lips: "Blow on it."
Qin Xiao raised his eyebrows and blew into the bamboo tube.
Then he saw a fire start up in the middle of the bamboo tube.
He was taken aback.
Xiao Xiangzi and the others, who had been watching from the sidelines, were so shocked that they couldn't close their mouths. If Qin Xiao hadn't been there, they would have definitely rushed over to ask Chu Jiubian what was going on.
But at this moment, they all stared wide-eyed, not daring to say a word.
Chu Jiubian put the lid back on and then handed the tinder to Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao took it, expecting it to be hot to hold because there was fire inside, but it wasn't.
He opened the lid and saw faint, flickering flames in the middle of the bamboo tube. He blew on them, and the flames suddenly ignited.
This thing can actually preserve fire!
Qin Xiao's heart started racing, a feeling similar to when he first saw the ice cube.
He tried twice more, and each time the tinderbox lit successfully and quickly.
Compared to using flint to start a fire, this tinderbox is obviously more convenient.
It really is a good thing.
"How long can this fire be kept going?" He looked at Chu Jiubian with a deep gaze.
If it could be preserved for a longer period of time, its uses would be extremely wide-ranging.
The palace servants standing nearby were taken aback.
ah?
Isn't this tinderbox always usable?
Chu Jiubian knew Qin Xiao was clever, so he wasn't surprised that he would ask such a crucial question. He replied, "From the first time it's lit, it takes about three hours. If it's not lit for preservation, it can last for a month without any problem."
Their product is made with high-quality materials, and after ignition, it can be preserved for five or six hours, or even longer.
Actually, it would be even better if sweet potato vines could be used, but Daning doesn't have sweet potatoes yet.
However, the usefulness of a tinderbox is calculated from the first time it is lit by an external object.
If not ignited, it can be stored for a month or even several months without any problems.
In other words, if a person carries two tinderboxes and lights the other one before the first one goes out, then they can keep the fire burning for more than ten hours.
The tinderbox is so easy to carry that if you're traveling, you could easily carry ten or eight of them.
In situations like field warfare or secretly burning down enemy camps, this thing can be far more useful than its actual value.
The flickering firelight reflected in Qin Xiao's eyes.
A few breaths later, he closed the lid, turned his head to look at Xiao Xiangzi and the others, and Xiao Xiangzi immediately stepped forward to take the tinder.
"Have you learned it all?" Qin Xiao asked.
"Yes, sir, I have learned them all."
"Go and tell people to make more; there's no need to light a fire."
This tinderbox is consumed once it's lit, so the safest and most appropriate way to preserve it is to keep it unlit.
"You may all leave," Qin Xiao said.
"Yes." Xiao Xiangzi immediately led the palace servants away from the main courtyard.
Once they were out of sight, the group couldn't wait any longer and urged Xiao Xiangzi to light the tinderbox.
Upon opening the lid, the tinder was indeed extinguished.
Xiao Xiangzi blew a breath nervously, and instantly a flame appeared on the ground.
"Good heavens! It actually caught fire!"
"This tinderbox is truly a divine object; it's much simpler than flint!"
“Yes, if we all carry this with us from now on, it will be much more convenient to light lamps for our masters when they get up at night.”
"That's right, our young master really is him!" Little Silver gave a thumbs up.
“Our young master is an immortal, of course he’s amazing.” Xiao Xiangzi raised his chin high: “Alright, let’s hurry up and send a message to tell people to prepare more materials and make more as soon as possible.”
"yes."
The crowd dispersed.
Inside the courtyard, only Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao remained.
There were still some leftover ingredients on the table, so Qin Xiao took them and started cooking himself.
Chu Jiubian had nothing to do, so he joined him in doing it.
It didn't rain today, but the sky was a bit overcast, and there was a slight breeze from time to time, making it cooler than yesterday.
"News just came from the southern border; their food supplies are almost exhausted," Qin Xiao said casually. "And from Guizhou and Guangxi, news came just a couple of days ago that their granaries are empty and they're asking the court for emergency relief."
Before he even received any reports from Guizhou and Guangxi, he had already sent a letter to Wei Yi, the Governor-General of Southern Zhili, instructing him to prepare some grain to send to Guizhou and Guangxi. He also asked Wei Yi to send his trusted confidants to keep an eye on the situation, in order to prevent the prefectural governments of those two places from exploiting the people again and cutting off their livelihoods.
He could temporarily ignore the fiefdoms of the other princes, as those princes all had some grain reserves, especially the Prince of Huguang, whose thousands of granaries could not possibly be empty.
The Prince of Pingxi wasn't in a hurry to submit his memorial; he probably just saw the Prince of Huguang submit his and then submitted his own, also to test Qin Xiao's different attitudes towards the vassal kings.
Qin Xiao didn't really know much about the Southern Frontier King's side, but he figured it was something similar to what the King of Pingxi was thinking.
Qin Xiao can put these three vassal states aside for the time being.
However, Guizhou and Guangxi are under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. If the imperial court does not take care of them, the people in these two places will really have no other way to survive.
Chu Jiubian looked at Qin Xiao.
The other party is urging him to find a solution to the drought.
Judging from the current situation, in the original novel, Qin Xiaoding also ordered Nanzhili to send grain to those two provinces, but with so many people and so many disaster victims in those two provinces, the grain from Nanzhili must have been a drop in the bucket.
Moreover, the journey from Southern Zhili to these two provinces would inevitably pass through the Huguang region, and the Huguang King Baili Yue, who constantly cried about being poor, would certainly try his best to leave some grain behind, which would only make matters worse.
"If I have no other choice, what are you planning to do next?" Chu Jiubian asked curiously.
Qin Xiao lit the tinderbox he had made himself and put the lid on.
Then he looked at Chu Jiubian and said slowly, "How many days has it been since you last saw Qin Lie?"
Chu Jiubian was taken aback.
Only then did he realize that he hadn't seen Qin Chaoyang for three or four days.
He instantly understood and said, "You sent him to Huguang."
The land of Huguang was also suffering from disaster. Even without the King of Huguang sending people to spread the news, the people along the way would definitely keep an eye on the grain convoy if such a large amount of grain entered the territory.
As the number of disaster victims increases, even with soldiers protecting the grain convoy, trouble is bound to arise.
Qin Chaoyang went to Huguang, and he certainly didn't go alone.
Moreover, he didn't just go to meet the grain delivery team. He must have spread other rumors before the grain arrived, or he may have directly mingled with the disaster victims, become their leader, and then led the people to the granaries in various regions of Hubei and Hunan to collect grain.
The granaries in Hubei and Hunan are all full.
If one granary is successfully opened, the disaster victims will swarm in and break through the other granaries as well.
That's a brilliant plan.
But you also need someone like Qin Chaoyang who can be used.
Qin Xiao didn't even need to mention the details; he only said that Qin Chaoyang wasn't there, and Chu Jiubian immediately understood everything.
Qin Xiao chuckled as he looked at the thoughtful expression on the other person's face. "It seems I also enjoy talking to intelligent people."
Chu Jiubian raised an eyebrow: "Congratulations, the person you like is standing all over the court."
“...I don’t like it anymore,” Qin Xiao said.
Chu Jiubian laughed.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "After all this turmoil, the people of Huguang will likely suffer considerable losses."
Qin Xiao looked into his eyes and said, "So, young master, could you please save these people?"
"There should be new information from the southern border soon." Chu Jiubian's gaze remained unwavering.
Qin Xiao's eyes flickered slightly: "Then I will await good news."
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