T/N: Happy Lunar New Year~ Let’s welcome the Year of the Rat with a hopeful chapter
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With Gu Yun’s music of making ghosts and gods cry at his side, even if there were all kinds of demons in front of him, he could be fearless.____
In one’s life, there was always a moment when one cannot contain anything in mind except for an absurd idea for no reason. A strong desire seems to devour the whole spirit, even if reason outside the brain risked its life to stretched its claws and scratch the door.
For example, many years ago, when Gu Yun’s head was delirious from fever in the wild northwest, he thought of resigning from his position and wandering around the world.
For example, many years later, Chang Geng came out of the imperial palace with the breeze and snow, only wanted to see Gu Yun who was thousands of miles away.
Chang Geng ran back to the Marquis’s manor without thinking. Two iron puppets at the door turned around and watched him silently. As soon as he met the purple light in the puppet’s eyes, his steps suddenly stopped.
Chang Geng and the two iron monsters looked at each other for a long time; he finally slowly recovered from the state of almost succumbing into madness. With a sigh, he reached out and touched the ice cold arm of the iron puppet, slowly lowered his head and bowed down, breathing out a dense white mist.
In the past, they separated then reunited, there was a time when they didn’t see each other for four years, yet it did not seem to be as difficult as this moment. Chang Geng himself didn’t know whether he was becoming more fragile, or whether he was becoming more and more greedy for Gu Yun. There seemed to be a string in his heart; ever since Gu Yun suddenly wrote a letter saying that he missed him, it began to tense up.
When every thrilling battle in the south reached the capital, the string would become tighter. When the situation in the court became more dangerous and complicated, it would also become a bit tighter. Until it suddenly broke at this moment without warning.
At this time, the gate opened from the inside, it was the manor guard captain Huo Dan.
Huo Dan saw Chang Geng’s strange expression and was surprised: “Uncle Wang is asking me to find you, Your Highness. What’s the matter?”
Chang Geng’s eyes were slightly red, but he adjusted a smile in the fastest time, he patted away the snowflakes on his body: “Nothing, I was dizzy from running too fast. What does Uncle Wang need me for?”
Huo Dan was a crude man. He didn’t see anything unusual after hearing it, he helped him up and whispered in his ear: “There is a guest who is inconvenient to appear. He said he has an urgent matter to report. He was unable to come to the Grand Council to meet and can only come to the Marquis’s manor.”
The visitor was a man of about thirty-four or thirty-five. Chang Geng didn’t know him, but he must have met him somewhere, he seemed familiar. As he adjusted his disordered mental state, he tried to recall the identity of the guest.
Fortunately, the man himself came forward and said, “I am Liu Zhong, deputy governor of the Foreign Affairs Mission, greeting to Your Highness.”
The so-called “Foreign Affairs Mission” was built by a group of pro-peace factions from the Ministry of War, using a connection they have with Honglu Temple, it was built by their joint effort. For fear of touching Emperor Long An’s temper, they did not even dare call themselves “peace envoy”, they had to bear the half-ass name of “Foreign Affairs Mission”, raised the banner of “one civil, one militant”, finding some bullshit reason to go on the front line to “make the enemy retreat through other ways”; this was purely with the intention of making trouble for Gu Yun.
Chang Geng frowned. He had just met this person, but his impression of the man was already bad. He did not show it in his demeanor for fear of a lack of grace. He said with indifference, “Master Liu is about to depart on your mission, visiting in the middle of the night like this, is there something important?”
Liu Zhong suddenly stepped back and knelt down, raising one hand to the heavens and said, “If this lowly official speak of any false statement today, I will be struck by lightning, and my parents will not be at peace in the afterlife.”
Chang Geng turned aside in avoidance for half a step: “What is Master Liu doing? Hurry and stand up.”
Liu Zhong refused: “Do you know that the supervisor of our regiment, my direct superior, used to be a student of Grand Scholar Fang that year?”
Of course, Chang Geng knew, not only did he knew, but he was also disgusted for a long time. If it wasn’t for the lack of skills, he wished nothing more than to capture all the traitors that supported the Foreign Affairs Mission and chop them to pieces.
“Your Highness, please allow me to report.” Liu Zhong quickly explained to Chang Geng what Grand Scholar Fang had secretly told the foreign affairs officer, “Currently, only a few of the trusted confidants of the supervisor know about this matter, this lowly official is incompetent, I am also one of them.”
Chang Geng’s fingers tapped the table beside him: “Visiting the manor in the middle of the night is not the action of a trusted confidant, is it now?”
Liu Zhong gave a grand courtesy: “This servant’s ancestral home is Hangzhou. My parents died early. I grew up with the elders of my family when I was a child. Later, I went to study in all directions and also worked as an adviser for the rank of nobility many times. I met with the elders of the Fang’s family by fate, having affinity with them, they recommended me to be an official. Of course, it is hard to repay his kindness.”
Chang Geng raised his eyebrows lightly.
“When I was a child, I had a childhood sweetheart. The two of us were young and innocent. We were already engaged and waited to be wed.” Liu Zhong buried his head very low and shrunk his shoulders. “I wanted to wait until I succeed in my career and to go back to my hometown to ask for her hand in marriage. But before that day could come, the ferocious enemy had suddenly attacked…”
Liu Zhong bowed his head and wiped his face then kowtowed heavily to him: “Although the dead are already dead, the living are always unable to let go of anger. Thank you for your mercy.”
Chang Geng sighed softly: “Master Liu, get up first then talk.”
The two discussed in secret for a long time. When they saw Liu Zhong off, there was already a sound of night patrol on the street. Chang Geng stood at the door for a moment, pinched the center of his brows and said to Huo Dan, “May I ask the commander to go see if Miss Chen had slept yet; if she hasn’t, please invite her here.”
Chen Qing Xu had been staying as a guest in the Marquis’s manor these days, ready to try and start on the treatment for Chang Geng’s Bone of Impurity. But it would be a long process, Yan Wang never had any free time, he did not return even after half a month.
When Chen Qing Xu saw Chang Geng, feeling that his complexion was already very bad, she said, “Your Highness, the more serious you are thinking, the more difficult it would be to control yourself. Have you been too exhausted recently?”
Chang Geng smiled bitterly. He ignited the contradiction too soon, in fact, there were many things that had not yet finished preparing. Every step was dangerous. He didn’t know when he would slip on this vertical cliff.
But he had ran out of time.
He was afraid that his enemies would not give him time, that Gu Yun would only report the good news but not the bad, that he would steel himself to suffer from what he did not know in a place where he could not see.
Chang Geng: “If it’s convenient for Miss Chen, you can start applying needles from today.”
Chen Qing Xu was stunned: “The process may be very painful. Your Highness is busy with the court during the day. Will you be able to bear it?”
Chang Geng shook his head: “I don’t know, but I always have a bad feeling. In recent days, it’s more and more difficult to suppress. Let’s just say we won’t be able to rebuild if we don’t break it down first.”
One hour later, Chang Geng realized that he had underestimated the word ‘pain’ that Chen Qing Xu mentioned.
Chen Qing Xu brought a bowl of medicine soup to him and prepared the silver needles.
Chang Geng reached for it and asked, “What is this?”
“I will make a copy of the prescription for your highness when you are no longer trapped by Bone of Impurity,” said Chen Qing Xu, “But it is better for you not to ask before drinking.”
Chang Geng: “…”
He didn’t know why, but in his impression, all the things related to the barbarian’s voodoo were full of the gloomy smell of corpse oil. After hearing this, Chang Geng suddenly had countless of terrible thoughts. He immediately stopped asking questions, curled up his tongue as much as possible, and drank with his nose pinched.
Chen Qing Xu bent over to light a tranquilizer, the quiet cold fragrance spread in the room. She sat cross-legged three steps away from him, and said in a serious manner, “Your Highness, after I start to apply needles, you must keep your mental state clear all the time, otherwise no one will be able to wake you up. Do you understand?”
Chang Geng nodded.
Chen Qing Xu: “I will start when this tranquilizing incense is burnt out. Please use this incense to clear your mind and eliminate all distractions.”
At first, there was no sensation. Chen Qing Xu’s needles were steady and accurate. Her hands were very fast. Chang Geng only closed his eyes. Suddenly, a chill of fear rose from behind him – the type of fear when seeing someone raised a weapon yet he could not avoid and could only await his death. The muscles in his back contracted involuntarily. Although he could not move, he made a subconscious action of avoidance.
Chen Qing Xu’s needles could not go through at once; she appeared much more serious: “Your Highness.”
Chang Geng felt an invisible whip lashing on his back, there was a murmur in his ears, the shouting and cursing of the woman who was gone for more than ten years exploded in his ears.
Amidst the long years of nightmares, Chen Qing Xu’s voice mingled with tranquilizer stabbed into his ear: “Your Highness, this is the Marquis’s manor. Can you hear me?”
Chang Geng, with all his strength, gave a little nod.
Chen Qing Xu sent the next silver needle in; the second tranquilizing incense was burnt out. She looked at the Western clock on the table, “This is just the beginning, Your Highness, do you need time to adapt to it?”
Chang Geng bit the tip of his tongue: “No, go on.”
Chen Qing Xu no longer talked nonsense, her movement swift. The illusion that had just faded was coming back again. All kinds of injuries imposed on him by Xiu Niang in his childhood reappeared one by one.
Chen Qing Xu ‘s face was filled with tension. She saw an old scar on Chang Geng’ s clavicle suddenly reddened and swell without any reason. A thin row of blood oozed out. The blood vessels resembling cobwebs underneath his skin split on both sides, appearing very ferocious.
“Your Highness, Your Highness Yan Wang!” Chen Qing Xu called him.
Chang Geng did not react.
Chen Qing Xu did not dare to continue. Suddenly, she saw a pair of iron shoulder armor hanging on the foot of the bed. It looked like it was from a long time ago. Now, the steel armor in the army had changed its style. Chen Qing Xu suddenly remembered when talking with Chang Geng about the symptom of Bone of Impurity in his early years, he seemed to mention by chance that when he broke away from his nightmare for the first time, it was thanks to the piece of armor Gu Yun hung at the head of the bed.
Chen Qing Xu swept her long sleeves, the iron shoulder made a sound with a clear impact, the sound of metal swept through the quiet room. Chang Geng’s increasingly rapid breathing suddenly came to a halt.
There were many obstacles in front of him. First, he was trapped in his own younger body — sharp hairpins, burning red sticks, dirty horsewhip, the woman’s hands as sharp as pliers. At the end of everything, there was Gu Yun, half-clad in steel armor, watching him silently, pierce through many years.
Chang Geng stared at him like a life-saving straw, struggling to maintain his own line of clarity. He did not know how long it took for the demonic illusions to gradually get away from him. Chang Geng came back to his senses exhausted, and saw that the tranquilizer fragrance on the table had burned out, Chen Qing Xu was gathering the silver needles.
Only then did he realize that he could move again.
Chen Qing Xu: “How do you feel?”
Chang Geng moved his hand for a while, and saw that there were many small bruises on his arms he did not know where they came from. They had already scabbed and itched a little. He tried to clench his fist. “It’s like climbing out once more.”
After Chen Qing Xu left, Chang Geng immediately fell asleep. Over the years, his sleep seemed to be a lake surface which could be broken even by a stone. Aside from the loss of blood and being in a coma, he rarely had this feeling of deep sleep, having no nightmares for the first time.
He dreamt of a lofty watchtower. There was a fire in the distance. The camp was heavily guarded, with a sense of ready to battle. A group of soldiers who came back from the camp patrol were tightening their reins. Suddenly, the leader looked back at him: it turned out to be Gu Yun. He wore a liuli glass that was flashier than a mask, the silver lining and the dark armor complimented each other, he looked at him and smiled teasingly.
In the dream, Chang Geng said with a laugh, “What on earth are you wearing?”
Gu Yun stretched out a hand on horseback, the metal arm burning Ziliujn with the firepower easily pulled him up on the horse, Gu Yun hugged him from behind, laughing and said to his ear, “The military camp is too lonesome, trying to coerce a few little beauties.”
People could not cover up their subtle thoughts in their dreams. Knowing what he said was only a joke, Chang Geng’s heart was still full of unspeakable grievances: “I’ve been troubled all night in the capital, for fear of going wrong step by step. I only hoped to hear a few words from you every day, but nothing came.”
Gu Yun said helplessly: “Your Highness, you come all the way here to this remote place to act spoiled?”
Chang Geng thought that he was very right. He truly wanted to sulk and pick a fight with Gu Yun, just like what was written in the folk storybook. However, only when one wanted to make use of a knowledge did one find they did not have enough, his skill was very lackluster. At this time, he was a little stuck and didn’t know where to start.
Gu Yun raised his hand and took off the liuli glass on his face, tilted his head and kissed him on the face: “If you don’t like it, I won’t wear it anymore.”
In the early morning, Chang Geng woke up in Gu Yun’s horrifying flute sound. He climbed up and rubbed his eyes. He always felt that the demonic sound seemed to still linger around his ears. He rubbed his sore ears painfully, but the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up.
This was really the best dream of his life.
With Gu Yun’s music of making ghosts and gods cry at his side, even if there were all kinds of demons in front of him, he could be fearless.
What Chang Geng didn’t know was that the night before, on the front line, when Gu Yun came back from his patrol, he suddenly felt that there was someone behind watching at him. He could not help but turn back his head and dropped the liuli glass on his face. This time, the lens didn’t break, but it was the delicate pattern that knocked on his shoulder plate and chipped a corner; he had to admit that this thing is pretty but useless, and replaced it with a regular one.
The next day, Shen Yi had a good laugh at him when he heard it: “Perhaps it was some god that had their eyes sored by your flirtatious attitude.”
“Then that god must be a busybody,” Gu Yun said without shame, “Maybe she saw that I am handsome and want to become my wife in a hurry.”
Shen Yi: “…”
Before General Shen could vomit out all his dinner the night before, a general came to report: “Marshal, your emissary sent to Dong Ying has replied.”
Gu Yun: “Bring it in.”
Some of the supplies of the Western army were sent from the open sea with the cooperation of Dong Ying people. In this war, they seemed to have been involved in every aspect, but they were cunningly unwilling to show themselves on the table. Even when Liao Chi was attempting to kidnap Emperor Long An with ten Dong Ying warriors disguised as monks, it was also for his personal resentment. The Dong Ying people did not step out and demand justice for him either.
Shen Yi: “What does it say?”
Gu Yun shook his head: “It’s said they are polite and tentative, but their attitude was ambiguous. As soon as the messengers wanted to talk about business, the person in charge would avoid meeting, finding a group of white-faced dancers to accompany them. Dong Ying people have their own calculation in mind. If the foreigners can take root in our country, they will be able to eat a piece of rotten meat. But if the Western warships are defeated, they will still be our neighbor in the future. Therefore, they are not willing to offend us completely.”
Shen Yi frowned and said, “Trying to please both sides. What kind of character is this.”
“The good kind.” Gu Yun said with a smile, “As long as they are indecisive, I can rest assured. It’s of great use, just wait and see.”
Shen Yi shook his head. “We can’t wait anymore. The front line of the south is too long. Ziliujin is too tight. Even if you deploy it, there will come a time when it will no longer be able to keep up. I’m afraid that if we fight like this, there will be talks in the court.”
Gu Yun’s face faded.
Shen Yi also reminded: “I heard the court thought that fighting head-on is moronic, we should ‘hit once with a stick then reward with an apple’. Recently, a new group of foreign affairs envoys are being set up. If these people are really coming with a stick to reward the apple then it’s fine, I only fear they come to cause trouble.”
Gu Yun pondered for a moment: “When will they arrive?”
“They must be ready to depart soon,” Shen Yi replied. “No more than ten days — Zi Xi, what do you want to do?”