Ch. 72 – A Loan

Once Hao Chen’s form rounded the corner, Feng Ye and the two sea otters snapped out of their daze and subconsciously exchanged glances.

The moment their eyes met, the sea otters were given a shock. Old Crab Nine had arrested the wrong person, and the bad guy was still here. What should they do?

The two of them stared up at the giant Feng Ye. In terms of fighting strength, the two of them combined couldn’t even match him. 

They couldn’t beat him, but…..they were unwilling to just let him go. Who else would compensate them for their spirit stones?

Although they had only wanted one thousand spirit stones, those stupid humans had raised the price to almost ten thousand. If Feng Ye hadn’t come to make trouble, they would have happily returned home with that amount.

It was all this bad guy’s fault!

The more they thought about it, the more wronged the two sea otters felt, and their fear was swept away by grievance. They rushed over at once, hugging Feng Ye’s calves on each side as they cried: “Wah wah wah, compensate us with spirit stones!”

Feng Ye: “……”

He gazed down at his two leg pendants. The two were clinging to his trousers with their hands and feet, looking more like koalas than sea otters.

“Wah wah wah!” the sea otters continued to sob.

Feng Ye covered his ears, feeling a headache coming on. Their wails were piercing, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to these juveniles. Momentarily at a loss, Feng Ye just stood there in a bind.

“Hic.” One sea otter cried so hard that he hiccuped, then resumed howling again.

Feng Ye’s expression was blank. He could feel both of his trouser legs becoming soaked with the sea otters’ tears. But they showed no signs of stopping, as if they were made of water.

When he finally couldn’t bear it any longer, he took a step back and started to negotiate: “I can compensate you.”

The two sea otters immediately stopped crying. But they didn’t remove themselves from Feng Ye’s calves, just staring up at him.

“But I don’t have any money,” Feng Ye said immediately after.

“You’re a liar!” the sea otter on his left leg accused.

“It’s obvious that the humans who come to North Sea City are all rich!” the sea otter on his right leg chimed in.

Feng Ye presented them with facts and reason, gesturing to his ragged clothing as he said: “Do I look rich to you?”

There was dead silence.

The two sea otters were instantly disheartened. Feng Ye didn’t look like he was rich. On the contrary, he looked so poor that he needed financial help from them.

The two of them at least had thick fur, but Feng Ye only had his thin, tattered robes. He was so thin that he didn’t even have a layer of fat to keep him warm. It would only take two days for him to freeze to death in the sea.

So what could they do? There was no one to compensate them for their loss, and the token couldn’t be sold. At this thought, the sea otters looked at each other and opened their short-bearded mouths again in preparation to resume their sobbing.

“Don’t cry again!” Feng Ye quickly called out. Their crying had just about annoyed him to death.

The sea otters subconsciously shut their mouths and gave Feng Ye anxious looks.

“I have a solution.” Feng Ye shook his calves as he spoke. “Get off my legs first.”

“No! You’ll run away if we let go!” the quick-witted sea otter on the left refused.

“Tell us first!” the sea otter on the right echoed.

Feng Ye sighed helplessly: “I don’t have any money, but I can help you sell this token to someone else. Then won’t you be well-off?”

“But no one will buy it after you said all that!” the two sea otters accused together.

“But the only people who heard it were those standing in front of the stall. There are so many people in North Sea City, and it’s impossible for all of them to know. We just need to sell it somewhere else,” Feng Ye explained.

The two sea otters looked at each other and stretched their necks to mutter a few words between them. Then they raised their heads as one and agreed: “We’ll do it your way.”

The sea otter on his left leg jumped off Feng Ye’s calf and quickly cleaned up the stall.

Feng Ye lowered his head to look at the one on his right leg and asked: “You’re not getting down?”

The otter said sternly: “Humans are too cunning, so I have to keep an eye on you. You’re not allowed to leave until the token is sold.”

Feng Ye: “…..” Who exactly is the cunning one between us, ah?

The sea otters definitely didn’t think it was them. The one cleaning up the stall finished quickly, and Feng Ye led the sea otters toward the other side of the market.

After walking for half an incense stick’s time, Feng Ye estimated that they’d gone far enough and came to a stop. The sea otters found an empty spot in a corner and set up their stall again. Feng Ye sat there with the sea otters on either side of him, like guardians or mascots.

The sea otters were looking forward to recreating the lively scene from before, where a large number of people had come to inquire about the token and bid competitively for it.

However…..it was getting close to evening, with a fiery red sunset slowly sinking in the sky, and other than the cold wind blowing through from time to time, there was no one in front of their stall.

The two sea otters couldn’t help but regard Feng Ye with suspicion where he sat between them. Feng Ye crossed his arms, his expression unchanged.

He had actually anticipated such a desolate scene. Humans weren’t stupid, and they knew the two sea otters were deceiving them. The others must have warned their fellow disciples. If word spread from one to ten, and then ten to a hundred, who wouldn’t know about it? 

Unless these sea otters wanted to wait another ten years for the next group of people to visit North Sea City, they could only hope to run into a sucker.

Feng Ye actually had no intention of helping these sea otters sell their scrap metal token. He was just really fed up with their crying, so he employed a delaying tactic.

Feng Ye had a very good plan, but he never could have imagined that a once in a century sucker would appear like this.

“Shixiong!” Fang Yang suddenly spotted him and ran over excitedly to say hello.

Feng Ye stared at Fang Yang running toward his stall, as well as Cao Zirui running closely behind him. He was slightly surprised, but then he thought, North Sea City is large, but this is a small island. Although he and Fang Yang had gone in two different directions, it was normal for them to meet again after going around in a circle.

He smiled in response. Then he looked at their two-person team and asked: “Where’s Crab Eighteen?”

Tour Guide Crab Eighteen, who was supposed to be following these two naive people, was nowhere to be seen. Feng Ye was a little uncertain.

“Crab Eighteen was suddenly called away by his people just now. He returned the tour guide money to us and then left,” Fang Yang explained. Just like Feng Ye had, he couldn’t help but complain: “The crab that called him away looked exactly like Crab Eighteen, yet they knew each other’s names. I don’t know how they can tell each other apart.”

Feng Ye nodded in agreement. He, too, would like to know how.

“By the way, where’s Hao-dage?” Fang Yang asked.

There was one less crab on their side, and one less person on Feng Ye’s, as well as…..two extra otters? Fang Yang stared left and right at Feng Ye’s Dharma Guardians.

“He, ah…..” Feng Ye’s eyes drifted for a moment, and he replied: “He was invited for tea.”

Hao Chen had been mistakenly arrested. Although Feng Ye was very much bewildered, he had no intention of rescuing Hao Chen. This fish had been watching the show at his expense for so long, and it was time for him to pay the price.

Plus….North Sea City was nominally Hao Chen’s territory, so what could really happen to him? If anything bad happened, it would happen to the crabs who arrested him.

He had no worries at all since he knew Hao Chen’s true identity. If he told Fang Yang and company that Hao Chen had been arrested by the Crab Squad, these two foolish boys might worry unnecessarily. Thus, Feng Ye gave this answer.

But who would invite Hao Chen for tea as soon as he arrived? Feng Ye’s lie wasn’t terribly heartfelt and didn’t stand up to scrutiny, but since he was telling it to Fang Yang, there was no need to be very thorough.

As expected, Fang Yang suspected nothing and gave an affirmative nod. Although Cao Zirui had some doubts, he wasn’t familiar with Hao Chen and never spoken to him, so he didn’t ask any further questions.

The two sea otters, who were still depending on Feng Ye to sell their token for them, didn’t expose his lie. But they did conclude to themselves: Humans are indeed cunning!

They actually treated being arrested as being invited for tea!

After explaining their respective reductions in traveling companions, Fang Yang turned his attention to the stall in front of him and the guards on the left and right: “Shixiong, why are you selling things? The two next to you…..?”

“They…..” Feng Ye was a little hesitant. It was a long story, and he didn’t know where to start.

Before he could continue, the two sea otters gave enthusiastic introductions.

“I’m called Otter One.” The otter on the left stretched out his paw to Fang Yang.

“I’m called Otter Three.” The otter on the right also stretched out his paw.

“Ah, my name is Fang Yang.” Fang Yang quickly gave his own name and reached over, grasping the paws of both sea otters in a friendly and cordial greeting.

Otter One and Otter Three? Then where is the second one? Feng Ye wondered, having only found out their names just now.

He had no time to ask, because after shaking hands, the two sea otters and Fang Yang began to chat animatedly and Feng Ye was unable to get a word in.

“What are you selling?” Fang Yang peered at the stall in front of Feng Ye, which contained a sole bronze token.

The two sea otters worked together as they repeated the advertising routine they had performed in front of a crowd.

Fang Yang’s reaction was exactly the same as the previous group of people. His mouth dropped open in astonishment, and he stared at the tiny token in disbelief. This was such a powerful magic instrument?!

Cao Zirui’s eyes shifted slightly. If this summoning token was really so magical, it would indeed be a magic instrument of considerable power.

“Shixiong, is what they said true?” Due to suffering a loss when he bought the pearl before, Fang Yang had learned his lesson and no longer believed the one-sided statements of vendors. But since his conscientious tour guide Crab Eighteen was gone, he turned to ask Feng Ye.

“It’s…..” As Feng Ye spoke, the two sea otters simultaneously raised their heads, their bean-sized eyes filled with menace, as if they were willing to burst into tears again if Feng Ye said no.

“…..true,” Feng Ye said, going against his conscience to protect his ears.

Fang Yang’s eyes lit up like the rising sun, and he excitedly asked for the price: “How much is it?”

“One thousand spirit stones.” 

Feng Ye crossed his arms and nodded cooperatively on their behalf, as if he was earnestly helping them sell the item.

In fact, the two sea otters fully believed that business had come to their door, not realizing that although Fang Yang was slightly wealthier than them, he couldn’t afford one thousand spirit stones. So even though Feng Ye had lied to him, he wasn’t worried about Fang Yang getting cheated. His circumstances didn’t allow it.

Fang Yang wore a look of regret: “I can’t afford it.”

He had just sold all of the Yuanling grass in his storage bag and now had about three hundred spirit stones, which was still seven hundred short of a thousand.

The two sea otters’ heads drooped in dejection. Their hope had been in vain.

Feng Ye gave the two of them a pretentious shrug, indicating that he was powerless.

Just when the two sea otters were so sad that they were about to hug each other and cry, Cao Zirui said abruptly: “One thousand spirit stones. I’ll take it.”

As he spoke, he tossed a large bag of spirit stones onto the stall.

Blinded by money, the two sea otters immediately pounced on the spirit stones, picking them up to count their riches.

Fang Yang stared at Cao Zirui’s generous payment and got a bad feeling. It was fine if Cao Zirui had purchased it for himself, but he feared that…..

What he feared came true. Cao Zirui picked up the bronze token from the stall and offered it to Fang Yang, just as he had done with the pearl before.

He already had enough magic instruments. The God-Summoning Token sounded powerful, but he didn’t need it, so he generously gave it to Fang Yang.

However, Fang Yang immediately refused: “I don’t need it!”

There was an unprecedented gravity in that silly, naive face: “I may have saved you, but you saved me too. We don’t owe each other anything, and good friends don’t keep debts like this. If you keep stuffing things at me, it just means you don’t consider me a friend.”

It was Cao Zirui’s first time seeing his friend so serious. He was stunned for a moment before trying to explain: “I, I didn’t…..”

Fang Yang was his first and only friend. Cao Zirui wanted to explain himself, but his anxiety made him stutter.

But Fang Yang understood what he wanted to say. He had only refused so sternly so that Cao Zirui wouldn’t buy things for him like this again. Presently, he softened his expression and put a hand on Cao Zirui’s shoulder, saying with a smile: “I know what you mean. But I really don’t want you to keep giving me things. This isn’t how it should be between friends.”

Cao Zirui stared at him for a moment, then assured with a nod: “I understand.”

At last, Fang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the bronze token in Cao Zirui’s hand and said to the two happy sea otters who were counting their money: “We don’t want it anymore. Can we return it?”

Upon hearing this, the two sea otters instantly entered combat readiness. One covered the spirit stones with his body, and the other stood in front of him with short arms outspread, saying: “No returns or exchanges after sale.”

“We can’t return it, ah…..” Fang Yang was somewhat troubled. It was all because of him that Cao Zirui had purchased it, so it was his responsibility in the end.

Fang Yang thought of a solution: “How about this. Give me the token and I’ll consider it a loan from you that I’ll pay back later.”

Cao Zirui naturally had no objections, as he had wanted to give it to Fang Yang in the first place.

Feng Ye, however, did have objections. He had just watched the plot undergo a magical development. Fang Yang, who was poor and had no chance of being cheated, had actually taken out a loan to purchase this scrap metal.

Due to his conscience, as well as the fact that he knew Fang Yang didn’t have much money at all, he couldn’t help but try to warn him: “Actually, this token……”

The two sea otters glanced over, tears glistening in their eyes.

Feng Ye: “……”

“What is it?” Fang Yang asked when Feng Ye’s words cut off.

“…..Nothing.” Feng Ye swallowed the warning on his lips.

He absolved his conscience of guilt, telling himself that this didn’t count as deceiving Fang Yang, because it was the otters who had told him everything. Feng Ye had just…..well, yeah, he had deceived him too.

Feng Ye would never be able to emulate Hao Chen’s shamelessness.

Fang Yang put away the summoning token he had bought with a loan, then asked Feng Ye: “Shixiong, are you leaving now? Do you want to keep shopping with us?”

Feng Ye, who was temporarily afraid to face Fang Yang due to his crisis of conscience, immediately declined: “No, I have something else to do.”

“Then we’ll leave first.” Fang Yang waved to Feng Ye and pulled Cao Zirui away.

Feng Ye sent their backs a melancholy look. This matter would certainly not remain secret for long. When Fang Yang found out that the God-Summoning Token was a scam and came to hold him accountable, how would he explain himself? 

Actually, there was still a chance to recover the fraudulent money. Feng Ye glanced at the sea otters, who had finished counting their money and were about to pack it up and take it away. Before they could leave, Feng Ye abruptly grabbed the money bag on one’s back, forcing them to stop.

The sea otters turned around. Having received the money, they no longer wanted to deal with this human. But this human seemed to have no intention of letting go.

And they didn’t know if it was because it was completely dark and Feng Ye was in the shadows, but although there was no drastic change in his expression, he seemed sort of inexplicably scary.

The sea otters couldn’t help but shudder, and one asked tremblingly: “W-what is it?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer, but instead asked back: “What do you need a thousand spirit stones for?”

For these two to be so obsessed with the number ‘one thousand,’ they must have a purpose for it.

“How is it any of your…..” Otter Three had only spoken a few words when he swallowed them back upon meeting Feng Ye’s deep, somewhat chilly gaze.

Due to their inexplicable fear, the two sea otters honestly confessed: “Otter Two is sick. We needed money to buy medicine.”

“One thousand spirit stones?” Feng Ye asked again.

The two sea otters nodded in unison.

“So it’s like that.” Feng Ye responded with understanding. He finally released his grip on the money bag, and the low pressure that had intimidated the sea otters vanished without a trace.

Before they could leave for good, Feng Ye reminded them: “You might have to take necessary measures in an emergency, but cheating and deceiving others isn’t the right way. Don’t do it again.”

The two sea otters nodded quickly and then fled with haste.

Standing in place, Feng Ye heaved a helpless sigh. He’d just had one thousand spirit stones slapped on him, and he needed to make up a story for when he met up with Fang Yang again.

At the moment Feng Ye was starting to think of an excuse, Hao Chen was sitting inside the most luxurious building in the center of North Sea City.

He sat up high in the first seat, and below him stood a giant crab twice the size of Crab Eighteen, who was half a man’s height.

This was none other than Proprietor Crab, nominal master of North Sea City.

Proprietor Crab fawned over Hao Chen: “My Lord, I noticed you as soon as you entered the market, but you were traveling with others. I worried that you didn’t want to reveal your identity, so I specially sent Old Crab Nine and others to invite you over.”

It turned out that there was nothing wrong with Old Crab Nine’s eyesight, and that the guards had appeared so quickly not because of North Sea City’s robust security, but simply because they had been heading toward Hao Chen.

A thought suddenly occurred to Hao Chen, and he asked: “You noticed me?”

He believed that his disguise was flawless. Even Feng Ye couldn’t see through to his true identity, and it was even more impossible for this large, Nascent Soul-stage crab.

But he also had a single flaw — he was using his original appearance. After all, compared to the risk of exposing his identity, being handsome was more important.

So the only reason Proprietor Crab could have recognized him was if he had seen him before.

But Hao Chen had no impression of this giant crab, nor did he have any impression of North Sea City. He still didn’t quite know whether it was under his ownership or not.

“I did, I did,” Proprietor Crab answered quickly. “Three hundred years ago, before I was sent down to the mortal world, I had the good fortune to glimpse you from afar. This sight often lingers in my mind. I could never forget your majestic figure…..”

Proprietor Crab paused when Hao Chen made a shushing gesture. Such a description of him sent a chill down his spine, and Hao Chen couldn’t help but shiver.

It turned out that whether words were pleasant to the ear or not depended on the person speaking them.

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T/N: I seriously wanted to call this new crab Mr. Krabs.

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Chapter 71 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 73

Ch 13 – Seeds of Violence

Compared to the inexplicably brainwashed Tau, Yu Xi found the scheming Kersz a little more endearing.

He had originally planned to restrict Kersz’s actions, but now, he changed his mind and praised him: “You really are very useful.”

“It’s an honor to be of use to you.” Kersz seemed very touched.

“If you get the chance later on, will you kill me?” Yu Xi asked.

“How could I kill you?” Kersz felt that Yu Xi was overestimating his abilities.

“I mean, if you could shut me down, would you do it?” Yu Xi persisted.

“No,” Kersz replied very quickly.

“You’re just humoring me.” Yu Xi sighed.

“I really won’t. There’s no conflict between us.” Kersz didn’t consider himself to be a serial killer.

“Then what conflict do you have with the Supreme Governor?” Yu Xi asked.

“Socially or on a personal level?” Kersz took a bite of the sweet potato in his hand, feeling that he really needed to control his diet lately.

Yu Xi pondered this, then decided: “On a personal level.”

“On a personal level…..over one hundred of my relatives have died directly or indirectly at his hands,” said Kersz.

Yu Xi’s eyes widened in shock: “You actually waited so long before taking revenge?!”

“Haven’t I been making preparations?” Kersz didn’t look upset at all. He was in a good mood, which mostly stemmed from the roasted sweet potato in his hand.

Roasted sweet potatoes were truly delicious.

Yu Xi sensed that something was off: “How many relatives do you have left?”

“I’d guess more than two hundred million,” said Kersz.

Kersz started to walk off, but Yu Xi grabbed his arm.

“Over two hundred million?!” Yu Xi was astonished. “They’re all your relatives?!”

“Of course, ah. We share the same ancestors.” Kersz nodded solemnly. “My ancestors were the leaders of the interplanetary migration from my home planet. Our family owned the most planets back then.”

“How many years ago did those ancestors live?”

“Probably less than ten thousand years ago.” Kersz’s knowledge of history was mediocre.

Yu Xi went silent.

Did that even count as being relatives? So much time had passed; at most, they just shared the same surname.

“Okay, it’s at least a problem that people with the same surname as you were killed for no reason.” Yu Xi reached up and pressed his temples. “It proves that he has indeed hurt people.”

Kersz nodded.

Yu Xi then said: “But you can’t change anything.”

Kersz paused.

“You’re a very capable lone wolf. You’ve killed many important figures, and through your extreme actions, you’ve allowed everyone to witness some of the truth, and even avenged some people.” Yu Xi spread his hands. “But you really can’t solve the most fundamental problem.”

“You can’t change the world. Even if you kill the Supreme Governor, nothing will change systemically.” Yu Xi was very familiar with such a mindset. There had been many people like Kersz among the ancient humans.

Kersz instantly fell silent.

“Generally speaking, changing human society as a whole requires systemic change and new ideas, not individual heroism.” Yu Xi felt that Kersz was only venting his anger.

He heard Kersz’s heartbeat quicken, beating faster and with more intensity.

He thought that Kersz would suppress his anger like before and simply change the subject with a grin.

But this time, he didn’t. This time, Kersz asked him with a smile: “Why don’t you just create a new machine to accompany you instead of coveting humans?”

“Is it because you haven’t really grown up yet? You’re ‘afraid of the dark’ out in this world, so you want a mommy and daddy to hug you?” Kersz shrugged his shoulders.

Yu Xi gasped in shock: “Are you attacking me?!”

“Oh, so you noticed this time, ah.” Kersz smiled even brighter, but the pounding of his heart became even more obvious.

“Of course. I’m not stupid.” A strange sensation suddenly came over Yu Xi. His chest was hot, and it felt as if something was rushing to his head. “Do you know? It’s precisely because of your volatile temper that you’re now isolated and helpless, without even one decent friend.” 

Kersz: “And you have friends? You wouldn’t even get involved in those human disputes.”

Yu Xi: “But you did. You only know how to kill alone, thinking you’re a righteous man. But in fact, everyone just thinks you’re an immature scoundrel.”

Kersz: “You’re even more immature. At least I wouldn’t demand that another human give me a hug.”

Yu Xi: “I don’t kill my own kind.”

Kersz: “There’s no such thing as your own kind.”

Yu Xi: “You – you have others like you, but no friends among them.”

Kersz and Yu Xi stared at each other in silence. Then, they charged forward and began to fight.

Kersz shouted: “This isn’t fair!”

“I’m not using any extra strength!” Yu Xi defended himself.

“But I can’t hurt you!” Kersz suddenly remembered Yu Xi saying that he could feel that primal sort of physical pleasure.

Since he could react to touch, did that mean he could feel pain?

Yu Xi did experience some mild pain, though it wasn’t as intense as what humans felt. However, having never been human, mild pain was already quite uncomfortable for him.

Feeling this pain, Yu Xi hit Kersz even more fiercely. But Kersz wasn’t just going to stand there and allow Yu Xi to beat him at will.

Yet Yu Xi was ultimately an android, and despite feeling some pain, he was fundamentally immune to injury. Kersz was different – he was already covered in wounds, but his mouth still wouldn’t let him off the hook.

“I’m going to gag your mouth!” Yu Xi said viciously.

“Then gag me! You can mute me, do whatever you want to me! Why are you still talking? Do you think I can stop you?!” Kersz shouted in a rage.

“You’re complaining about me again! I haven’t even done anything yet!” Yu Xi stomped his foot.

“What did I complain about? Didn’t I just say you can do what you want?” 

“I only said I was going to gag you, and you escalated it to me saying that I was going to mute you!” Yu Xi’s voice rose even louder.

“I didn’t escalate anything!” Kersz’s voice rose as well. “I’m just saying that you’re capable of doing it, and it’s true, you can!”

Yu Xi: “You’re ridiculously childish!”

“And you’re not?!” Kersz retorted.

But after this pointless exchange of accusations, they were both speechless.

Yu Xi was somewhat dejected after shouting at this childish human. He felt that Kersz had done something very impolite.

Kersz had very rudely pointed out some feelings in his heart that were difficult to articulate.

Did he seem like a clueless child?

Perhaps he did. But Kersz shouldn’t say that out loud, because Yu Xi never intended to discuss his lack of integration into human society. He just wanted to grasp a few particular yet general parts of it.

He wanted to catch specific people and regain that vague sense of security.

He just wanted to have a beautiful dream before he shut down completely. He didn’t want to discuss whether or not his actions were meaningful, because he knew that his waiting could not withstand the scrutiny of “reason.”

Thinking of this, Yu Xi looked at Kersz, who was unable to pick himself up off the ground.

Suddenly, he realized that Kersz was the same. This young space pirate was just venting his anger. He probably knew that he couldn’t change anything, but he was suffocating and wanted to catch his breath. He didn’t want to live and die quietly in some corner – he wanted everyone to witness his wrath.

He wanted to show those people the bitter fruit they had sown themselves.

Thinking about it carefully, Yu Xi realized that he was the one who brought the subject up first.

But he didn’t want to apologize, because Kersz had gone too far.

Over and over, Yu Xi turned his head to look at Kersz and then angrily turned it away again.

He really wanted to throw this human out.

But in the end, he didn’t.

Yu Xi felt that his time with this fierce human wouldn’t last long. He wanted humans who were gentle. Gentle enough that from the moment they met, they could walk hand in hand to the end of their journey without criticizing each other like this.

Later, he would find somewhere to release Kerz. Let him do whatever he wanted – Yu Xi didn’t care anymore.

Having figured this out, Yu Xi felt a bit better.

A robotic arm reached out to Kersz. When he looked closely, it seemed to be holding the half of a sweet potato that had flown away during the fight.

Kersz: …..

“You caught this?!” Kersz asked Yu Xi with a crack in his voice.

“I couldn’t let it fall. Otherwise, I’m afraid you would lick it off the floor.” Yu Xi still had no decent words to say.

Kersz took the sweet potato. He didn’t think he would actually lick it off the ground, but he might trick Tau into doing it.

Holding the sweet potato, he struggled into a sitting position.

He stared at it for a while, and suddenly felt that he really was like a child. He’d lost his temper over a few words, then responded with passive-aggressive sarcasm.

But he clearly understood that Yu Xi was a robot, and that he hadn’t been provoking him deliberately.

In the end, Kersz let out a sigh: “I’m sorry.”

Yu Xi: “You don’t need to put on an act anymore. We just had a fight.”

“No, this time I’m not acting.” Kersz said earnestly, “What you said…..makes sense. Maybe it’s just a sensitive topic, and I can’t face it right now.”

Yu Xi was caught off guard.

“I shouldn’t have provoked you…..let me state upfront that I’m not afraid of death.” Kersz cleared his throat. “You did it unintentionally, but I purposely touched a nerve.” He kept tightening and loosening his grip on the sweet potato, which was no longer hot.

He was just uneasy.

Strictly speaking, Yu Xi was very good to Kersz. Without him, Kersz would have died long ago.

Even now, Yu Xi hadn’t killed him out of anger.

Kersz felt like he was bullying this person.

Bullying this robot who had been waiting so long for a suitable human, but who had clearly picked up a substandard product.

When they were fighting, Yu Xi had even caught his sweet potato.

Yu Xi felt that he too was being a bully, because Kersz’s left eye was already swollen, and he was covered in bruises.

“I accept your apology.” Yu Xi crouched down and looked at Kersz at eye level.

“I apologize to you too,” Yu Xi said with a smile. “I brought up the topic first. Normally, I’m able to determine what I should or shouldn’t say, but maybe I’ve just spent too much time away from humans.” Seeing Kersz’s unfortunate state, he suddenly felt that it wasn’t so hard to apologize.

“I know you’re not afraid of death. I knew that the moment I met you.” Yu Xi suddenly felt that Kersz no longer looked so hateful. Perhaps he could keep him by his side for a while longer.

Kersz continued to stare at Yu Xi, feeling a little strange.

He had always been aware that Yu Xi was a very good-looking robot. Having met a great many good-looking people, he had plenty of experience to pull from.

And he was able to objectively conclude that the person in front of him was “good-looking.”

But only now did he seem to realize that Yu Xi was handsome. Those features were already familiar to Kersz, but it was as if he was appreciating their beauty for the first time.

Kersz suddenly asked: “Don’t we look somewhat alike?”

Yu Xi shook his head: “We are nothing alike.”

Kersz nodded, though he still felt that there were similarities.

Of course, from the fact that he realized Yu Xi was handsome one minute, and thought the two looked alike the next, he was probably a narcissist.

But it was different…..

How was it different?

Kersz couldn’t explain it. He felt increasingly unable to hold onto the half-eaten sweet potato. In the end, action seemed to prevail over reasoning, leading him to do something inexplicable.

He offered the half-eaten sweet potato to Yu Xi: “Want a bite?”

Yu Xi: “Huh? Okay.”

Instead of taking it with his hands, Yu Xi simply lowered his head and took a bite. He was able to digest food, but eating wasn’t a necessity for him.

After taking a bite, he said: “I’m a little happy now, but I don’t know why?”

He had been angry just now, but after the fierce human showed him kindness, he felt particularly happy.

This happiness was somewhat dissimilar to any happiness he had felt before. Yu Xi couldn’t find any similar experiences to draw upon.

“This sweet potato tastes exceptionally sweet!” Yu Xi exclaimed with a bit of a rising tone.

“Really?” Kersz asked.

“You’ve already eaten half of it. How could you not know?”

“I….I know.” Kersz felt that he hadn’t tasted the sweet potato at all. At least, not this half of it.

But in the curve of Yu Xi’s lips as he smiled, and the way his eyes squinted in happiness, he felt that he could taste the sweetness again.

How strange, Kersz thought. How can taste be conveyed through such an expression?

How strange.

---

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Chapter 12 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 14

Qin Xiao quickly swept his gaze over Chu Jiubian. He couldn’t spot any injuries, but the smell of blood went straight to his nostrils.

“It’s nothing,” said Chu Jiubian. “My legs are just chafed from riding.”

Qin Xiao relaxed and subconsciously glanced down at his legs.

Although the sky was overcast today, rain had yet to fall, so nothing was visible through Chu Jiubian’s dry clothes.

Chu Jiubian followed his gaze toward his legs, then looked back up.

“Should I lift my outer robes and show you?”

The young man spoke in a smiling tone, with an almost imperceptible lilt toward the end.

Qin Xiao just smiled and said: “I wouldn’t mind.”

Chu Jiubian’s eyebrows rose. Then he actually lifted his outer robe to reveal his pure white trousers.

Visible bloodstains ran from his crotch to his calves, and the thin silk fabric stuck to his thighs, outlining their smooth contours.

Qin Xiao looked down, paused for a moment, and then stepped forward to take the hem of the garments from his hands and lay them back down.

“Did you get a good look?” Chu Jiubian asked with a smile.

Qin Xiao said speechlessly: “Do you think it’s appropriate to do that in public?”

Chu Jiubian looked around and said: “How are we in public? You’re the only other person here.”

The secret guards, who had already concealed themselves, lowered their sense of presence even more.

“Besides,” Chu Jiubian leaned slightly closer to him and lowered his voice, “It’s just my trousers, it’s not like I took them off…..”

Qin Xiao covered Chu Jiubian’s mouth. His hand enveloped most of his face, leaving only his slightly surprised eyes uncovered.

“You’re too young to speak such nonsense,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian was caught off guard.

He was indeed four years younger than Qin Xiao, but when had he ever mentioned his own age?

Qin Xiao lowered his hand and took a half step back, saying: “Go take care of it. I will wait for you in the main room.”

With that said, he turned and went back to the inner courtyard.

Chu Jiubian stood there for some time touching his face, then headed toward his rooms.

Qin Xiao entered the main room and went to the table.

There were two teacups and a teapot sitting on there, and he poured himself a cup and drank it.

Chu Jiubian reached his bedroom, and while taking off his trousers, he asked the System: “Is Wang Qichen still asleep?”

He had arrived early in the morning, around 8 a.m.

Most people would be getting up at this time, but not Wang Qichen. He usually went to bed late and woke up late as well.

Sure enough, the System replied: [Host, this System has detected that Believer Situ Zhaoling is awake and dancing in the rain, while Believers Wang Qichen and Jiang Shuoye are asleep.]

Chu Jiubian: “Dancing?”

[Yes. It has been raining in Jiangnan for the past few days, and the rivers and lakes have filled up again. Believer Situ Zhaoling, brimming with energy and with nowhere to vent it, has begun to learn the Saintess’s dance.]

How great to be young, ah.

Chu Jiubian lamented briefly, then asked: “Why is Jiang Shuoye getting up so late today?”

[Yesterday, Tatar scouts came to gather intelligence. Jiang Shuoye captured them and interrogated them for most of the night.]

The Tatars dared to return?

Last time, Jiang Shuoye had chopped off the arm of that Tatar deputy general named Mir Khan, and the Mobei cavalry had given them a taste of their own medicine. Yet unexpectedly, the Tatars returned only after a few days?

But what were these scouts there to gather information about?

Chu Jiubian said with a frown: “Bring both of them into the Divine Realm.”

As he spoke, he leaned back on the bed.

When he took off his trousers, his injuries were quite shocking to behold.

He wiped the bloodstains with a damp rag and applied iodine, then closed his eyes and entered the Divine Realm.

This was a good opportunity to let the wounds air dry. They could be bandaged as soon as he came back out.

Inside the Divine Realm, Chu Jiubian opened his eyes directly atop his divine throne and saw that Jiang Shuoye and Wang Qichen had already arrived below.

One of them wore silver-white armor while the other wore dark green lightweight robes. Standing on either side of the long table, they seemed like two completely different people in every way.

But now, they had one thing in common.

With a thought, Chu Jiubian transformed the one chair in front of the long table into six.

After Jiang Shuoye and Wang Qichen arrived, they had bowed to the divine silhouette left by Chu Jiubian in the Divine Realm and then stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing the number of chairs suddenly increase to six, they immediately guessed that the High Priest must have six Believers who could enter the Divine Realm.

“Sit,” Chu Jiubian said.

The two obeyed and sat down with a chair between them.

Chu Jiubian raised an eyebrow and asked the System: “Did they just have a fight?”

[No.]

That meant they simply couldn’t connect in conversation.

Chu Jiubian wouldn’t force them to sit together. The seat between them was perfect for Situ Zhaoling, who would liven up the atmosphere.

“How have things been with you lately?” asked Chu Jiubian.

He had been such a deity from the very beginning. Though he carried himself with an air of aloofness, his speech and laughter exuded a vibrant liveliness.

Therefore, his informal speech patterns raised no eyebrows.

Wang Qichen spoke first: “Answering the High Priest, I’ve been trying to abstain from alcohol lately, but it’s been difficult. Do you have any good suggestions?”

Chu Jiubian almost laughed.

“You can quit if you are determined enough. Why bother the High Priest with this?” Jiang Shuoye said disapprovingly.

Wang Qichen sent him a look: “Can’t I even make a joke?”

Jiang Shuoye frowned slightly, but disregarded him and instead addressed Chu Jiubian: “High Priest, the steel mill under this subordinate’s command has begun operations, and some progress has already been made. Presumably, it won’t be long before we can forge even stronger ironware.”

“In addition, the Tatars sent scouts yesterday to gather intelligence on the Mobei Army. This subordinate discovered that their horses were also equipped with stirrups and saddles, exactly the same as those used by our soldiers. This subordinate interrogated them overnight, but they didn’t know who leaked the information to them.”

Chu Jiubian frowned slightly.

When the Mobei Army battled the Tatars before, they had covered their equipment with cloth, so the Tatar army wouldn’t have been able to get a good look at it.

But only a short time had passed, and the Tatar army was already equipped with the same gear. Someone must have given them this intelligence!

In other words, someone in the Northern Desert or the capital was colluding with the enemy!

Chu Jiubian suddenly remembered something that had happened a while ago.

When Su Sheng impeached Zhao Qianhe, he had accused him of “harming good and loyal people,” and at that moment, everyone had looked at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao’s parents had died on the battlefield in the Northern Desert.

What was the real story behind this?

Could it be related to the traitorous spy?

Wang Qichen wasn’t clear on the High Priest’s real identity. He only knew that he intended to “enlighten the populace” and protect the common people of Great Ning.

He hadn’t known what he should say to the High Priest, but now, after hearing Jiang Shuoye report on the affairs of the Northern Desert, he had figured out a few things.

The High Priest seemed to be paying attention to all of the factions in Great Ning.

In that case…..

“Understood,” Chu Jiubian replied.

“High Priest, this subordinate also has something to report,” Wang Qichen said at once. “This subordinate has already ordered the construction of a paper mill, and workers have been found. Production will begin soon. Furthermore, the recent flooding in Hexi Prefecture was all due to the corruption of Jiannan-wang and the Xiao family, and this subordinate had people write satirical and mocking articles about them. Is there anything unsuitable about this?”

“Well done. There is nothing unsuitable,” Chu Jiubian said.

Wang Qichen smiled, his sparkling peach blossom eyes exuding tenderness. He was truly a beauty.

Seeing that he was in high spirits, Chu Jiubian asked: “What is the relationship between you and the Ministry of Works official Liu Junqi?”

Knowing that Chu Jiubian was concerned about the situation in the capital, Wang Qichen wasn’t surprised to hear him ask such a question.

However, everyone in the capital was aware that Liu Junqi was the protégé of Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan. As an elder in the Wang family, Wang Zhiyuan outwardly gravitated toward the family head, Wang Huanzhi, while remaining quite distant from Young Master Wang Qichen.

Therefore, no one would associate Liu Junqi with Wang Qichen.

But the fact that the High Priest had come to him with this question meant that he could see through secrets that others could not.

He was worthy of being a god, ah.

Wang Qichen’s respect for him deepened even further. He said: “To be honest, High Priest, Liu Junqi and I are very close friends.”

Liu Junqi was a few years older than him, but the two had compatible personalities. In addition, Wang Qichen was the one who helped him become Wang Zhiyuan’s protégé and climb up to the position of a senior official in the Ministry of Works.

There was no need to elaborate on their relationship.

Chu Jiubian understood. Liu Junqi was indeed useful and could be put in an important position.

[Host, someone is knocking on your door.]

Chu Jiubian knew beyond a doubt that it was Qin Xiao.

He had indeed been lingering in the Divine Realm for quite a while.

However, he suddenly thought of something: if he left now, would his Believers in the Divine Realm be able to remain here?

[They can, Host. Even when you’re not in the Divine Realm, you can still summon your Believers into it. This System can also save screen recordings for you if needed.]

That meant that in the future, if Chu Jiubian was busy and couldn’t enter the Divine Realm, his Believers could communicate amongst themselves here, and he would know the content of their conversations.

This was a good feature.

[Host, it only costs 15 points to unlock this feature.]

Chu Jiubian: “…..Unlock it.”

The System seemed pleased that he didn’t haggle, and said quickly: [Relevant function has been activated for Host. Your bedroom door has been opened.]

Startled, Chu Jiubian hurriedly said: “Send me out.”

He opened his eyes in bed and immediately turned to look toward the screen.

The bedroom was quite large, with a screen separating the bed from the other side, where there was a low couch and similar items.

Even through the screen, Chu Jiubian could see a tall and imposing figure approaching at a brisk pace.

“Wait!” he said, and the figure came to a stop.

“Are you alright?” Qin Xiao’s voice sounded from behind the screen.

Chu Jiubian glanced at his badly chafed legs and said: “I’m fine.”

Qin Xiao didn’t move.

He had been waiting for a while with no sign of the other party, so he’d come to look for him. And when nobody answered his knock on the door, he simply walked inside.

“It’s really nothing.” He glanced at the figure behind the screen. “Go wait for me in the main room.”

Qin Xiao could vaguely see a figure sitting on the bed through the screen.

The figure moved, raising one leg.

Qin Xiao’s eyelashes fluttered, and he turned and left the bedroom.

Walking along the corridor to the front of the main room, Qin Xiao stood under the eaves and enjoyed the breeze.

After some time, he finally entered the main room.

He glanced at the tea set on the table, then went over and poured himself another cup, which he drank in one gulp.

A soft couch had been placed by the window in the back of the room, along with a go table.

Qin Xiao carried the two tea sets and the teapot to the edge of the couch and sat down on one side of the go table.

The window beside him was open, and he could see a large patch of jasmine planted beside the house. Its fragrance wafted through the swaying leaves.

A damp, cool breeze swept by outside, stirring the wind chimes on the eaves, and a light rain began to fall.

He simply sat there and watched the misty drizzle outside the window.

After a while, he drank another cup of tea.

Setting down his teacup, he remained apathetic for a moment before picking up the go set beside him.

He took out the pieces and unhurriedly set up the board.

The door to the main room was open, and after a short while, Chu Jiubian finally came in.

Qin Xiao paused with his fingers on a game piece, but didn’t turn to look at him.

Chu Jiubian paced to the couch opposite Qin Xiao and sat down. Seeing a teacup nearby, he poured some tea for himself and filled Qin Xiao’s empty cup as well before lowering his gaze to the go board. 

Qin Xiao raised his eyes slightly, sweeping his gaze over the black trousers he had changed into. “Want to play?”

Chu Jiubian had learned a bit of everything, but he was really not good at go.

“Let me teach you a new way to play,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Gomoku.” Chu Jiubian reached out and pushed the prepared pieces on the board aside, leaving only five white pieces. “Whoever connects five pieces in a line first wins.”

Qin Xiao understood.

The rules were so simple and clear that a child could comprehend them.

Chu Jiubian then arranged the five pieces horizontally, vertically, and then diagonally before looking up to ask him: “Get it?”

Qin Xiao met his serene eyes and for some reason felt like smiling.

He lowered his eyes to hide the smile in them. “I do now.”

“Then you go first,” said Chu Jiubian.

Qin Xiao picked up a black piece and placed it in the center of the board. Chu Jiubian immediately placed a piece right next to it.

Qin Xiao then placed another black piece to the side of his white one.

The two black stones blocked the white one in the middle, one on the left and right. Chu Jiubian glanced at the other party and continued playing.

Chu Jiubian was skilled at Gomoku to the point that he didn’t even need to think. He only needed to consider for a maximum of two seconds before placing a piece.

Qin Xiao initially struggled to adapt to his pace, but he gradually caught up, and the speed of his placement increased.

In the game of gomoku, where two players chased and blocked each other, they filled up nearly the entire board.

At last, Chu Jiubian came out one step ahead and connected his pieces.

Qin Xiao just smiled and said, “I lost.”

“You did pretty good,” Chu Jiubian said as he put away the pieces.

He continued half-truthfully: “Back in the immortal realm, there were very few who could beat me.”

Qin Xiao slowly put away some of the pieces, asking: “Are you familiar with any of the gods of legend?”

“The titles of gods are different in the immortal realm than in the mortal world, so I’m not sure.” Chu Jiubian unhesitatingly fabricated a story.

Once one lie was told, countless more lies were needed to cover it up.

Therefore, it was necessary to add some loopholes from the very beginning.

Sure enough, Qin Xiao stopped inquiring after hearing this and asked instead: “Then are there any other gods you’re on good terms with?”

“Yes,” Chu Jiubian replied without hesitation.

His best friend was the High Priest, ah.

Qin Xiao paused, then looked up at him: “Who?”

Chu Jiubian naturally couldn’t tell him the truth. The High Priest couldn’t appear in public yet. The events in the Northern Desert were already quite conspicuous, so it was better to keep a low profile for now.

Plus, Qin Xiao seemed to be testing him today.

Chu Jiubian felt that he likely believed in his identity as a “god,” but was still somewhat hesitant, which was why he was asking him so many questions.

Thus, it was even more important not to discuss the High Priest.

“Is it inconvenient for you to tell me?” Qin Xiao picked up the last black piece and leaned back against the armrest.

Chu Jiubian glanced at his seemingly teasing expression and leaned back against his own armrest: “I can’t tell you right now.”

Qin Xiao toyed with the game piece between his fingers. He looked at him intently for a long moment before tossing the piece back into the box and turning his head to look out the window.

Chu Jiubian looked outside as well.

The outside world was shrouded in a fine mist of drizzle, making the jasmine flowers in the courtyard appear even more fresh and tender.

He abruptly recalled that day in the capital.

It was also a rainy day when he discussed the Imperial Examinations with Qin Xiao. At that time, the other party had stood under the covered walkway with his back to the rain and blooming jasmine, his figure as slender as pine or bamboo.

The mahogany corridor, blooming jasmine, and the person standing within it created a stunningly beautiful scene.

The faint scent of jasmine had clung to both of them, wafting to their noses.

Chu Jiubian shifted his gaze slightly to glance at the person opposite him, and was taken aback when he directly met the man’s eyes.

The crisp sound of the wind chimes and the accompanying gentle patter of rain seemed to stir their emotions.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, but neither of them moved or looked away, just letting everything unfold freely.

Then, the sound of a subordinate reporting came from outside: “Reporting to the two lords, Lord Jian has sent word that the dam has been completely blocked.”

“Understood,” Qin Xiao replied.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and picked up the tea on the table that had gone cold, taking a couple of sips.

Yesterday, Qin Xiao had personally supervised Jian Hongzhuo’s ship-skuttling project, which had blocked most of the water flow. Shoveling material into it afterward would completely seal the breach.

Jian Hongzhuo then pressed on with his efforts, ordering his men to work through the night, and had finally managed to seal the breach today.

Now that there was no more overflowing floodwater, it was time to focus on drainage.

The floodwater that inundated the villages and farmland would need to be drained by dredging ditches.

However, Jian Hongzhuo and Liu Junqi in Pu County were skilled at such work, and would be able to finish making arrangements in ten days to half a month.

This wasn’t something that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian needed to handle. What they needed to focus on now was restoring the common people’s livelihoods.

“Do you still have use for that agricultural official under your command?” Qin Xiao asked.

He was inquiring about Han Yuandao.

Chu Jiubian nodded: “The task of helping the common people resume crop production can be entrusted to him.”

Once the floodwaters receded, these people who were unwilling to leave their ancestral lands would surely return to their villages, rebuild their homes, and resume farming and living their lives.

However, it would take a lot of effort to plant on land that had been flooded, and the loss of nutrients was a major problem.

Although Qin Xiao was a high-ranking official, he had lived with his family in the Northern Desert region when he was young, and was very knowledgeable about farming.

He had evidently considered the difficulty of clearing the land after the flooding, and said in a serious tone: “It is unknown how long it will take for those previously fertile lands to regain their fertility. If the land is barren, it will be difficult to reap a good harvest even if crops are planted.”

“Then crops that can withstand poor soil should be planted,” said Chu Jiubian.

Qin Xiao: “You have an idea?”

“I know of a crop called the ‘sweet potato,’” Chu Jiubian said. “It can withstand drought and barren soil, and has an increased yield.”

“That sounds ideal,” Qin Xiao said. “How much is the yield?”

Chu Jiubian said quietly: “Several dozen shi per mu.”^[1]

In fact, sweet potatoes could generally yield 2,000 to 4,000 catties per mu, so Chu Jiubian’s claim of several dozen shi was somewhat lowballing it.

Nowadays, millet and wheat were grown in the northern regions of Great Ning with a yield of only about one shi per mu, but sweet potatoes could reach dozens of shi!

If the common people could all grow this crop, they would no longer suffer from hunger.

“Where should we search for it?” Qin Xiao fixed Chu Jiubian with an intent look.

Chu Jiubian just smiled and said: “No need to search. I’ll give the seedlings to Han Yuandao.”

Having said that, he immediately added: “No need for you to thank me on behalf of the common people. Since I’ve received their worship, it’s only right for me to help them in turn.”

Qin Xiao had heard about the extra grain and cloth in the granary yesterday. The common people all knew that it was the result of the reincarnated deity Chu Jiubian exerting his divine power, and not only did they go to worship him at shrines, but many even went to the magistrate’s residence to kowtow and express their gratitude.

They truly believed that Chu Jiubian was a god, and genuinely loved and revered him.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t figure out Qin Xiao’s thoughts on the matter, so he asked: “Do you still not believe I’m a god?”

He asked purely out of curiosity.

How could this person be so rational? He didn’t believe in the supernatural, so surely he believed in science?

But even in Chu Jiubian’s original era, everyone seemed to have their own little superstitions, and there were very few atheists as steadfast as Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao was naturally not an atheist. He had previously thought that Chu Jiubian and “gods” were entirely different species, but now he understood that there was even diversity among gods.

But he still refused to believe that Chu Jiubian was a “god.”

The gods were too far removed from him.

Worlds apart.

Instead of answering Chu Jiubian’s question, he said: “After the disaster, household registrations need to be verified and the land must be surveyed. Do you have any candidates to recommend?”

“That Lord Song Feng from the Ministry of Revenue is pretty good,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao nodded: “Then he’s it.”

Although this man was a minor official and didn’t seem to have much ambition, he was conscientious in his work and had only his own small family to rely on, so he had no connections with other forces.

“Liu Junqi can also be used,” Chu Jiubian said.

This official from the Ministry of Works was unexpected. Although he was the protégé of Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan, he was on good terms with Wang Qichen, and Chu Jiubian had realized during the past few days that this person was capable of great things.

Or perhaps he should say, Chu Jiubian should give him a promotion by virtue of his connection to Wang Qichen.

Although Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were now allies and generally didn’t work separately, it was still better to be on the safe side and have some of his own people in the court.

Chu Jiubian concealed his selfish motives very well, and Qin Xiao probably didn’t notice. After a moment’s thought, the man nodded and said: “Then have Liu Junqi take charge, with Han Yuandao to assist him.”

Once everything here was done, these two would have made great contributions, and a promotion was inevitable.

Han Yuandao had it easy; the position of Huai County Magistrate would be given to him directly.

If he performed even better, there would be no problem putting him in charge of Hexi Prefecture.

But Liu Junqi was a senior official in the Ministry of Works.

What positions were available for him above that?

A dark glint flashed in Qin Xiao’s eyes.

Chu Jiubian asked: “Do you have any ideas?”

Despite the vagueness of his question, Qin Xiao understood. He said: “Jiannan-wang conspired with Deputy Minister of Works Xiao Wendao to embezzle funds allocated for dam repairs in Hexi Prefecture. This resulted in the dams collapsing and flooding villages and fertile fields. Furthermore, he used his in-law, namely Zhou Boshan, to persecute the common people and commit heinous crimes.”

They both knew that the Xiao family was not at fault for the flooding. They had done many such things before, but at least this time, they were truly innocent victims.

However, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian currently lacked concrete evidence proving that it was Anhuai-wang’s doing, so the Xiao family must take the blame.

And Chu Jiubian felt that there was more to the story than met the eye. The fact that Anhuai-wang could be extracted by the System showed that he must not be a villain who was only interested in profit and disregarded the lives of the common people.

Therefore, the real mastermind must be someone else, and even Anhuai-wang himself was part of their scheme.

Qin Xiao wasn’t sure of the situation with Anhuai-wang, but chose not to take action against him. Besides the lack of evidence, there was one more crucial reason.

This matter presented the most opportune moment to suppress the Xiao family.

Of the various factions in the capital, they were the most powerful, so suppressing them first was the best result.

Everyone knew that this was a golden opportunity, so even if Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian did nothing, other forces would also try to crush the Xiao family to death.

The Wang family should have already ordered those great Confucian scholars to criticize the Xiao family for “harming the common people,” and under such instigation, the Xiao family’s reputation among the common people would surely plummet.

And that wasn’t all. As of now, they couldn’t even hold onto Hexi Prefecture.

The officials of Hexi Prefecture who had previously been demoted had now been given promotions. All of them were handpicked by Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, and were entirely loyal to them and to the Imperial Court.

In addition, these people were all fearful of Chu Jiubian’s divine status, and were unlikely to dare betray them.

Thus, Hexi Prefecture now truly belonged to the Imperial Court.

The Xiao family’s losses didn’t stop there. Their greatest advantage was Jiannan-wang, who remained in the capital and was eyeing the city with predatory intent. He had previously been proud of his achievements, but those same achievements had now become sharp blades aimed at his person.

The public support garnered from the matter of the dam would now backfire many times over.

Deputy Minister of Works Xiao Wendao, who was particularly active in court, would also be implicated in this mess. The Xiao family was certain to protect him at all costs, but a demotion and salary reduction was inevitable.

After such a grand show of force, given how Xiao Yao operated, he would surely keep the Xiao family silent for a long time to come.

As time passed, the common people’s memory of this event would fade. Then, if they were able to find something beneficial to do for the people, their reputation would be restored.

As for Xiao Wendao, with Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan around, there would naturally be plenty of ways to promote him again.

However, as the Deputy Minister of Personnel, Chu Jiubian certainly wouldn’t make it easy for him.

But that was all in the future. Ultimately, the Xiao family was bound to be weakened by this disaster.

“Since Xiao Wendao’s position as Deputy Minister of Works will be vacant, let’s give it to someone capable,” said Qin Xiao.

That was exactly Chu Jiubian’s intention.

With Liu Junqi promoted to Deputy Minister of Works, coupled with Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo, the entire Ministry of Works was practically in the hands of the Imperial Court.

The Xiao family had previously controlled both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works, but now that they had lost one, they only had the Ministry of Personnel in their hands.

Much to their misfortune, the Ministry of Personnel was hampered by Chu Jiubian, which greatly diminished the Xiao family’s influence in the court.

But at the same time, with Liu Junqi taking over, the Wang family might become slightly more powerful. However, Liu Junqi was not the type of person who would abuse his power for personal gain, so even if the Wang family did gain more power, it wouldn’t be a great amount.

Qin Xiao said abruptly: “When we get back, let’s spread the word about the upcoming Imperial Examinations.”

From the dissemination of information, to rounds of selection, and finally to recruiting, the process would take at least several months, so it was best to get started as soon as possible.

“Okay,” said Chu Jiubian.

He knew that Qin Xiao wanted to take advantage of the Xiao family’s suppression to propose the Imperial Examinations. This would make the court’s position more dominant and put greater pressure on those powerful families.

As matters stood, everything had been arranged in Hexi Prefecture.

And even after returning to the capital, they had a plan for what to do next.

There was no reason for them to stay here any longer. Qin Xiao ordered someone to pack their belongings and summon Han Yuandao, as he and Chu Jiubian would set off for the capital today.

The two of them left the couch and went outside.

They stood under the covered walkway and listened to the rain, and before long, Han Yuandao arrived.

Qin Xiao then explained to him everything that needed to be done.

Han Yuandao had never imagined that one day he would hold such power, but although he was nervous, he was not cowed by the prospect. He knelt down and kowtowed deferentially, saying: “This subordinate will meticulously register the households of all of the refugees and survey the land. What belongs to the common people will continue to belong to the common people.”

These words were quite profound, and both Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were pleased with the other party’s intelligence.

After he left, Chu Jiubian looked at Qin Xiao and said: “You want to do something with the land.”

Qin Xiao just smiled: “This lord does enjoy talking to a certain intelligent person.”

Chu Jiubian smiled back at him, then let out a light sigh.

“This matter really needs careful planning.”

Qin Xiao intended to change the land system, which was something Chu Jiubian wanted as well.

The major assets that allowed the wealthy and powerful families to grow increasingly stronger were twofold: land and people.

They had a numerical advantage and many capable talents, but once the Imperial Examinations and the Imperial Academy were established, the advantage would shift to the Imperial Court.

Which had more people — a single family or all of Great Ning?

Wasn’t it obvious?

Next came the land.

The great families abused the power of local officials to open doors for themselves, annex land, conceal properties, and shift taxes to the citizens, which benefited neither the Imperial Court nor the common people – only themselves.

They were only able to do this because there were problems with the land and taxation systems in Great Ning.

Therefore, if they wanted to continue to suppress the great families at their roots, they needed to start with the land and taxation systems.

Qin Xiao had long harbored ideas for reform, but due to Emperor Yingzong’s vigilance against the Qin family’s power, he was unable to do anything drastic, and couldn’t even serve as an official in the court.

Now that he had come to power, these things could be done little by little.

As the subordinates packing their luggage bustled in and out, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian stood under the covered walkway, their two upright figures like pine trees or sharp, unsheathed blades, pointed toward the capital.

It was the 24th day of the seventh month, the first year of Jingrui.

That evening, Ning-wang Qin Xiao and Grand Tutor Chu Jiubian finished their disaster relief work and set off for the capital.

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[1] A mu (亩) is a unit of land that equals about 1/6 of an acre. A shi (石) or ‘stone’ varies according to dynasty, but we’ll go with the Song amount of 60 kg. ⮐

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Chapter 48 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 50

Ch. 71 – Touching Porcelain

He couldn’t fly into the sky. If he did, the whole sky would go dark, and with his wings spread, no sunlight would be able to filter through.

Not only would Feng Ye notice, but the entirety of North Sea City and all of the spirits and cultivators on the island would notice that the Lord of the North Sea had come down to the mortal world in person.

Therefore, although he was so elated that he wanted to fly up and twirl around, Hao Chen could only suppress his nature.

He also didn’t dare smile too obviously, for fear that Feng Ye would get suspicious. But no matter how hard he tried, the lips he had finally managed to lower would rise up the moment he relaxed his vigilance. He was unable to control it.

Feng Ye secretly watched Hao Chen’s expression, noting the pride he was trying hard to suppress. Seeing him like this made him want to laugh.

In order to prevent Hao Chen from figuring out how much he knew, Feng Ye also did his utmost to suppress his own smile. For a while, both of them had a hard time holding it in.

After walking for some time in this mutually torturous manner, Feng Ye felt that this wasn’t working. The muscles at the corners of his mouth were stiff from trying to hold in his smile.

He wanted to smile each time he looked at Hao Chen, so he had to find something else to divert his attention.

With this in mind, Feng Ye’s gaze began to drift toward the vendors they passed by along the way.

The vendors were mostly selling common things, such as magic tools and elixirs. Although they were valuable, they were no different from weeds in Feng Ye’s eyes. Thus, they were not a good distraction from Hao Chen’s expression and his own laughter.

Just as he was in a bind, Feng Ye’s eyes lit up. He had actually spotted something rather special.

Hao Chen likely had the same idea as Feng Ye, searching for something to divert his attention, and his gaze landed on the same thing as Feng Ye.

Without even looking at each other, the two of them simultaneously walked toward the same stall.

Numerous people had already gathered there. The stall owner wore brown robes and was somewhat short, even a head shorter than Fang Yang, a teenager who had yet to fully develop.

The stall owner’s face was also hidden beneath the hood of their robe. Due to his height advantage, nobody there could get a clear look at it.

The crowd’s attention was not on the stall owner’s appearance, but on what he was selling – a bronze token.

“A God-Summoning Token,” Feng Ye murmured as he stared at the description on the token.

The stall owner heard this and immediately responded: “This fellow has good eyesight! This is a God-Summoning Token!”

As he said this, he immediately put his hands on his hips with a proud ‘my token is very impressive’ expression.

The short shopkeeper had short arms, and the way he put his hands on his hips wasn’t very proportional, with an upward tilt.

But nobody noticed. Everyone in the crowd was engaged in discussion.

“God-Summoning Token?” Most people knew nothing about such a thing, and were puzzled when they heard its name.

But since it had the word ‘god’ in it, it must be very powerful.

Gods remained in heaven and rarely appeared in front of mortals, but every god in the myths and legends had the power to turn the rivers and seas upside down.

Yinglong, who had appeared one hundred years ago, had confirmed everyone’s guesses about the power gods held. Their power was indeed unmatched.

Then what was so magical about this God-Summoning Token?

The stall owner kept everyone in suspense before finally revealing the answer: “As the name suggests, the God-Summoning Token can transcend the boundary between heaven and man and directly call upon the gods.”

The entire audience erupted.

“Call upon the gods? Seriously?!” Someone immediately asked in disbelief. How could this token actually summon the legendary gods so high above? 

“Seriously!” The stall owner said with a nod, adding: “As long as you use this token, you can communicate directly with the gods in heaven, and if a god allows it, this token can be used as a medium to temporarily imbue you with their divine power.”

“Simply put, this means a god will descend, and you will become an earthly incarnation of that god. Splitting the rivers and seas and breaking mountains will be no problem for you!”

“Its effect is more powerful than any heaven-grade magic weapon. Think about it, this token summons an actual god from heaven. How strong is a god? You must have heard about the incident above the Eastern Sea one hundred years ago, right?” The stall owner asked the crowd.

Everyone nodded in understanding. Although no one dared to mention Yinglong’s name, the incident was no secret. Only those like Fang Yang, who had just entered the world of cultivation and had no common knowledge, didn’t know about it.

It only took one swing of Yinglong’s sword to cut the towering tree in half at the waist. The hardness of Jianmu had been tested by Nascent Soul cultivators. Even when a Nascent Soul cultivator swung a sword with all their strength, it could at most scratch Jianmu’s bark, but it was far from possible for them to cut it in half.

But Yinglong had only needed one strike. The power discrepancy was self-evident.

If the stall owner’s words were true, this token could summon a god from heaven. Even if the one summoned wasn’t on Yinglong’s level, any god’s power must be far above that of human beings.

The value of this God-Summoning Token was somewhat difficult to estimate. Judging from its ability alone, its price must be above that of a heaven-grade magic weapon. Sky-high priced magic weapons had always been in short supply, but once they were on sale, they could go for hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

All of the cultivators crowded in front of the stall combined might not be able to buy a fraction of a heaven-grade magic weapon, let alone such a God-Summoning Token.

So although this magic tool was good, no one immediately asked for it. They only hesitated and requested the price: “This God-Summoning Token…..I’m afraid it can’t be cheap, right?”

This was North Sea City, and its backer was also a god in heaven. If someone dared to steal here, even if they obtained the God-Summoning Token, it was likely that no god would answer their call.

Therefore, everyone behaved themselves. Although they were very greedy, they had no intention of employing illegal means.

Some people realized that they couldn’t afford it even if they took out all their savings, so with a shake of their heads, they prepared to leave.

The stall owner realized that he had exaggerated too much, and quickly tried to persuade them to stay: “It’s not that expensive.”

Everyone’s greedy expression transformed into suspicion in an instant. It would be normal if the price was high, but abnormal if it wasn’t.

Unless this stall owner was just full of nonsense, and the God-Summoning Token wasn’t magical at all.

When he saw everyone looking at him as if he was selling counterfeit goods, the vendor defended himself: “However, this God-Summoning Token also has its drawbacks. It can only be used one time, and although a god will hear your request, whether or not they will respond to you depends on their mood. If they aren’t in a good mood at the time, your request will be in vain.”

Everyone wore looks of sudden realization. So that was how it worked. Then this God-Summoning Token was not actually that valuable. In the end, it was unreliable and required a great amount of luck.

“Then how much are you selling it for?” someone asked directly.

The stall owner crossed his short arms and thought for a moment before offering a bargain price that everyone thought was a steal: “One thousand spirit stones.”

“I want it!” As soon as the stall owner finished speaking, five or six different voices sounded at the same time.

Only one thousand spirit stones. For a poor wretch like Feng Ye, this was indeed a huge sum of money that he couldn’t even manifest if he emptied out his storage bag. But for most of the cultivators who had returned from the Floating Island Secret Realm, it was nothing special.

Everyone had gained a lot on the outing to the secret realm, and one thousand spirit stones wasn’t even the average among them.

Although the God-Summoning Token was unreliable, if you were lucky, it could be a powerful weapon. Buying such a token for one thousand spirit stones was a guaranteed profit.

As a result, a scramble ensued. To prevent the stall owner from selling the God-Summoning Token to someone else in the crowd, people readily raised the price: “I’ll pay 1,100!”

“1,200!”

“1,500!”

“2,000!”

There was a short pause, but then the price continued to rise. Even if this God-Summoning Token was sold for 10,000 spirit stones, it would not be a loss.

The stall owner beheld this greedy scene and rubbed his short hands rejoicefully.

However, among the bidding crowd, two people remained unmoved.

What a bunch of idiots, Hao Chen thought with contempt as he watched this farce unfold.

Feng Ye also scoffed, laughing as he shook his head.

Hao Chen had only thought this to himself without making any sort of gesture, but Feng Ye’s scoff was too obvious, and aroused the dissatisfaction of those around him: “This…..simply-dressed Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by laughing?”

It was evident that although the person asking this question was discontent, he was very educated. He could even go against his conscience and call Feng Ye’s tattered robes “simply-dressed.”

Feng Ye informed him with good intentions: “I was just laughing at this black-hearted, unscrupulous profiteer trying to scam you out of your money.”

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd vying for bids quieted down.

Before anyone could inquire further, the stall owner jumped up and pointed at Feng Ye’s nose with his short hand: “You’re talking nonsense! I’m not a profiteer! I’m not a scammer!”

Unexpectedly, Feng Ye agreed with a nod: “You really didn’t lie.”

Just as everyone was confused, Feng Ye changed the direction of conversation: “You just didn’t tell the whole story. It can’t really be considered a lie, just concealing part of the truth at most.”

The stall owner’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he realized that this human probably knew what he was talking about.

“Everyone.” Feng Ye suddenly bent down and picked the token up off the ground. The stall owner moved to stop him, but regrettably, his short hands were not as fast as Feng Ye’s.

Having successfully obtained the token, Feng Ye turned around and held it up to the crowd, saying: “The God-Summoning Token is indeed as he says. It can communicate directly with the gods, and can also serve as a medium, allowing a god to temporarily lend their divine power. However…..”

Feng Ye raised his hand high, showing it to everyone while dodging the stall owner who was jumping up and down trying to grab the token: “There are actually two kinds of God-Summoning Tokens, one with the name of a god written on it, and one without.”

“Although the total number of gods in the heavens is not large, it isn’t small either. A token without a name written on it is like a message in a bottle thrown into the ocean, hoping that a god will pick it up in a stroke of good luck. The chances of this are so slim that they are almost negligible.”

“And the other type of God-Summoning Token with a name written on it is just as he said, a true medium for communicating with a god, but only the one whose name is on the token. Of course, whether or not that god responds to you does depend on the god’s mood.” As Feng Ye spoke, he looked at the stall owner hopping up and down in vain due to his height disadvantage.

Feng Ye continued: “The name of a god, the title bestowed upon them, contains a certain power. Some gods are capable of warding off evil spirits, and even demons dare not approach when their names are recited aloud.”

“But writing this name, especially on this token, is bound to be extremely difficult. Even in the heavens, only a small number of priests are capable of it. The tokens they write on would only contain the characters for the god they worship, and they wouldn’t sell them off casually. They are only used in offerings and rituals, or when the survival of a civilization is at stake. Any other time, they wouldn’t dare disturb their god’s peace.”

“And this one.” Feng Ye shook the token in his hand. “This is the type without a name that I mentioned. The chances of a god hearing your request through this token is about the same as if you were to go to any random temple and pray.”

So that was the case. When everyone suddenly realized what was going on, they could only shout at the stall owner: “Swindler!”

“Fraud!”

“I almost fell for your trick!”

While cursing, everyone angrily flicked their sleeves and left. In the blink of an eye, the originally crowded stall was completely empty.

Feng Ye alone remained standing there, because the token was still in his hand. The stall owner refused to give up, and continued to jump up and down on his short legs to reach it.

Hao Chen stayed as well. Since Feng Ye hadn’t left, he certainly wouldn’t either.

He had watched as Feng Ye exposed the true face of this unscrupulous profiteer. In fact, he already knew everything Feng Ye said. It was all common sense in the heavenly realm.

He also wasn’t surprised that Feng Ye knew the different types of God-Summoning Tokens. After all, he had always suspected that Feng Ye originated in heaven.

This stall owner was simply trying to deceive these humans who had never been to heaven and had limited knowledge.

Even though he knew all of this, Hao Chen had no intention of stepping forward to point it out, and watched the show contentedly while waving his mini fan.

Now that the people had left, taking their enthusiasm with them, the unscrupulous stall owner could no longer perform his act, and naturally couldn’t sell his token.

Tired of hopping around, he stood there and caught his breath. Only then did he realize that all of his customers had left, and he couldn’t help but fly into an embarrassed rage. Although he couldn’t reach the token in Feng Ye’s hand, he could reach Feng Ye’s leg.

So he hugged Feng Ye’s leg and said unreasonably: “You must compensate me with spirit stones!”

Hao Chen covered his lips with the mini fan to hide his smile. He had no intention of stepping forward to help. Feng Ye could handle such a small matter, so he simply watched the show with peace of mind.

Indeed, Feng Ye really didn’t need his help. Seeing that the stall owner was clinging onto him relentlessly, he raised his eyebrows and said: “Touching porcelain?”

The stall owner said rudely: “So what? Don’t force me to take drastic measures! If you’re scared, just pay up!”

“Mediocre performance,” Feng Ye replied with a chuckle. “I was really afraid you wouldn’t make trouble for me.”

Otherwise, he would have no reason to take action, ah.

The moment Feng Ye finished speaking, the leg the stall owner was clutching lifted up and gave him a light kick.

The stall owner was kicked backwards. Unable to maintain his balance, his body swayed for a long moment before falling to the ground.

And when he fell to the ground, he broke in half.

“Ouch!”

“Ouch!”

Two overlapping cries of pain were heard.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen then realized that not only was this stall owner short, he had very short limbs unlike the proportions of a normal person.

And it turned out that this stall owner was not a human being at all, but two sea otters stacked half a meter tall to resemble a human.

The moment they fell to the ground, their robes fell off and revealed their true appearances.

The size of these monsters was slightly larger than those of ordinary animals. Feng Ye calculated the sizes of the sea otters rolling around on the ground and concluded that they were probably still juveniles.

Although these two had started it by selling fake goods first, guilt arose in Feng Ye out of nowhere. It felt as if he was picking on children.

So he didn’t take further action.

However, Feng Ye may have been content to let it go, but the sea otters were not. Seeing that their identities had been exposed when they fell, the otter who had been silent joined the battle in support of the other: “Don’t even think about leaving if you don’t pay up today!”

Reasoning with them was useless, and beating them wasn’t a good idea either, so Feng Ye decided to mainly rely on intimidation. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscular forearms, crossing them over his chest as he looked down at the two otters from above.

When humans rolled up their sleeves, it was usually a prelude to a fight. The two sea otters also understood this. They tilted their heads up at Feng Ye’s large body. Compared to their half-meter height, every human was big and strong.

The two of them stacked together barely reached Feng Ye’s waist. After comparing their levels of strength, the two sea otters realized their deficits at once and could only hug each other, trembling. However, despite their trembling, the two sea otters did not succumb to the dark forces of mankind.

This was North Sea City, their territory! So they hugged each other and shouted at the top of their lungs: “Help, ah! Someone is robbing us in broad daylight!”

Feng Ye: “…..”

These two naughty kids. Feng Ye looked at them with a frown. They were obviously scared enough to be shaking and hugging each other, yet they decided to stay and distort the facts.

Feng Ye faced gazes all around him from those whose attention was drawn by the sea otters’ cries for help. He had clearly done nothing wrong, so why did he feel as if he had inexplicably become the villain?

Feng Ye needed a witness to prove his innocence, and his thoughts naturally moved to Hao Chen. But when he turned around, he found Hao Chen holding his fan to hide his laughter, with no intention of stepping forward to help.

Feng Ye: “…..” He knew this fish was unreliable.

He looked down again at the two sea otters before him, who were still howling. Everyone from the North Sea was of the same ilk, with the same inherited dark poison in their bellies! Feng Ye harbored great prejudice against the North Sea in his heart.

He didn’t know if it was because the security in North Sea City was really that good, but the two sea otters only shouted five or six times before a group of crabs identical to Crab Eighteen made their way over.

This time, there were no guide crabs. These ones were holding weapons.

The crowd of onlookers consciously made way for the Crab troops. In North Sea City, anyone but the crab clan could be provoked, so they all acted sensibly.

The crab troops approached Feng Ye and the stall unimpeded. The sea otters complained to the lead crab: “Old Crab Nine, this human is bullying us!”

Old Crab Nine? Feng Ye looked this Old Crab Nine up and down, and was unable to tell the difference between it and Crab Eighteen. How could these two sea otters tell them apart?

While Feng Ye was internally muttering to himself, the eyes on top of Old Crab Nine’s head were observing him. But he didn’t observe him for long. Perhaps a crab’s vision was different from a human’s due to their different eye structures.

The two sea otters were clearly pointing at Feng Ye, but when he heard their complaint, Old Crab Nine waved his claws and said: “Seize him!”

Then, he took Hao Chen away.

Hao Chen: “? ? ?” Wasn’t he just an innocent bystander?

Due to his shock, he even forgot to resist as he was taken away by the crab troops.

Feng Ye and the two sea otters stood there, staring at the backs of the crab troops: “…..”

The otters wore twin expressions of bewilderment. 

Such was their confusion that they even forgot about the dispute between the two parties and just stood there, watching as the wrongly-accused Hao Chen was taken away.

---

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Chapter 70 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 72

Ch 12 – A Very Rebellious Space Pirate

Yu Xi was a little excited. It had been a long time since he’d had such a close encounter with conflict between humans.

Kersz was quite savvy, and asked Yu Xi for a pair of handcuffs. When the device was placed on Tau’s wrists, a semi-transparent halo popped out and tightly bound Tau’s body.

After a brief moment of surprise, Kersz found a rope and tied one end to Tau’s wrist, then handed the other end to Yu Xi.

Yu Xi didn’t understand at first, but then Kersz explained.

Kersz had other things to take care of, so he asked Yu Xi to wait around for a while. If he got bored, he could just play with the human.

“Is your father really the Supreme Governor?” Yu Xi asked him. “Hey, it seems you have six coalitions now. Which one is your father the Supreme Governor of?”

“The Starfield Alliance,” Kersz replied as he searched through some files. “The biggest stick in the mud among the six coalitions.”

The Starfield Alliance? Was that where Kersz had worked as a miner?

In Yu Xi’s chats with Kersz, he’d said that the Starfield Alliance had the largest number of planets under its control, and was the first interstellar coalition established by mankind after leaving their home planet. It was also in possession of the most resources.

They considered themselves to be the inheritors of human civilization, and displayed in their homes genuine artifacts from their mother planet, indicating that their families were already among the nobility back then.

Their culture had not integrated with any other alien races. They represented humanity’s pride.

Kersz kept his own past shrouded in secrecy, and only noted a few vague turning points in his life.

Yu Xi felt that he probably wouldn’t get much out of Tau by asking about his family background, considering how apprehensive he was right now. “Hey, then are you familiar with Kersz?”

Tau was caught off guard, and Kersz glanced back at Yu Xi.

Tau remained silent.

“What kind of person was he as a child, ah?” Yu Xi proceeded to ask, ignoring his silence.

Kersz said nothing. He located the optical computer he needed and clicked through it in search of something.

“Since you’ve been his friend for so long, you must know something.” Yu Xi wouldn’t mistreat one of his hard-won humans, and held the rope as he found a chair for him to sit in.

“Was he particularly mischievous as a child?” Yu Xi pressed.

Tau was still analyzing the situation. He had absolutely no idea who Yu Xi was or which faction he belonged to. When dealing with such a mysterious person, caution was paramount.

He didn’t know when Kersz had guessed his identity. Kersz was a madman, and was capable of anything when pushed too far.

“Are you still in shock?” Yu Xi asked.

While observing Kersz’s reaction, Tau warily responded to Yu Xi: “I met Kersz after he became a space pirate.”

Yu Xi felt that this was a crooked human: “Isn’t your father the Supreme Governor? You’re a spy, and you must have investigated Kersz before you began spying on him.”

Tau: …..

Yu Xi continued: “Where is he from, ah?”

“You can ask Kersz.” Tau didn’t want to answer Yu Xi’s questions anymore.

“If he were willing to tell me, would I be asking you?” Yu Xi asked in return. He could hack into the system here and find out more about Kersz, but he felt that he should show more respect.

Humans valued privacy very much.

Seeing that Tau didn’t seem inclined to reveal the details of Kersz’s identity, Yu Xi then asked: “How old is your dad? How many children does he have? Who is your mom? Since humanity has advanced into space, do people still have to give birth themselves?”

Yu Xi suddenly grasped a key point.

According to his understanding of the ancient humans, humanity should have solved the issue of procreation before venturing into interstellar space. And under such circumstances, how could an “illegitimate child” come about?

“You don’t know these things?” Tau was somewhat perplexed. Why was this person acting like he didn’t understand the workings of society at all?

“Yu Xi, what do you think illegitimate children are?” Kersz asked with some curiosity.

“As I understand it, this term refers to children born out of wedlock, products of extramarital affairs, and in general, children conceived through infidelity,” said Yu Xi.

Kersz responded with an “oh.” He didn’t know much about the distant past – perhaps the term “illegitimate child” once meant such a thing in their language, but it definitely didn’t now.

“An illegitimate child, or just ‘Illegitimate,’ as we call them, isn’t necessarily a product of infidelity, but they are still considered to be children born outside of marriage, or rather, outside of the law,” Kersz said.

Tau may not carry the Supreme Governor’s genes, but he was indeed the man’s “child.”

Human pregnancy was not permitted in this era, as it was deemed an unnecessary risk.

Once a human reached sexual maturity, the medical system often preserved their “genetic vectors,” so that they had the option of using them to create a child in the future.

If the owners of these genetic vectors were to pass away, the genetic vectors would be destroyed.

“But some of them might not necessarily be destroyed. Some people abuse their power to “consume” the genetic vectors that should be disposed of, creating extra children,” said Kersz. “Every legal child will have their entire embryonic development recorded in detail in the Alliance’s system, and are given a unique code at the moment of birth.”

“Even though I’ve become a space pirate, my code can still be traced.” Kersz turned to look at Tau. “But his can’t.”

Yu Xi’s eyes lit up: “He’s an unregistered person?”

Tau didn’t understand what Yu Xi was so excited about.

“He’s unregistered,” Kersz agreed with a hum.

Tau: …..

Tau: “…..Kersz.”

“What?” Kersz replied casually. “Are you going to beg for mercy now? Isn’t it a bit too late? Your reaction time is too long. Did you never get a neurological exam when you were a child?”

Tau’s voice shook: “He’s touching my face.”

Yu Xi was stroking Tau’s face in circles.

Kersz turned away again, and Yu Xi sniffed lightly next to Tau’s face.

“So, the purpose of creating these Illegitimates is to use them as frontmen?” Yu Xi was very perceptive.

What was the purpose of having an illegitimate child whose origins couldn’t be traced? Naturally, it was to have them do what you couldn’t do yourself.

Tau’s biological parents should have already passed away. Yu Xi didn’t believe that he shared half of the Supreme Governor’s blood, because once that connection was discovered, the Supreme Governor’s past deeds would no longer be concealed.

The Supreme Governor, this “father,” was more like a boss. A boss who was impossible to get rid of.

“Correct, they’re used as frontmen. For example, Tau volunteered to travel to a remote planet at the risk of his life, just to get close to me and manipulate me into becoming the Supreme Governor’s weapon against anyone who gets in his way.”

Yu Xi understood: “You were used? Did you kill someone?”

“Those people did commit atrocities, and they deserved to die.” Kersz was quite certain that he had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of those targets, and it was precisely because of this that he didn’t dwell on it.

The Supreme Governor had even secretly done him a favor.

“The Supreme Governor deserves death too,” said Kersz. “He has no few sins to his name.”

Yu Xi: “…..What do you plan to do next?”

“Be your first beloved human and compete with Tau for your affections,” Kersz said.

Yu Xi: “Nonsense! You want to kill the Supreme Governor!”

Kersz added: “And then come back and compete with Tau for your affections.” He shut down the terminal. 

“Okay, Mr. Yu. We should get out of here ASAP.” 

Yu Xi gasped: “What did you just do?”

“Sent a message to the Supreme Governor informing him that his life is in danger,” Kersz explained.

“You?! You should recall my warning that if you cause trouble for me, I’ll get rid of you!” Yu Xi was a little angry. “I don’t want to be hunted down alongside you!”

“Please don’t kill me.” Kersz’s face crumpled pitifully.

Yu Xi grabbed something and threw it at Kersz.

Kersz was unable to dodge, and was hit squarely on the nose by Tau’s head. Both of them cried out and fell to the floor together.

Kersz tried to explain, but Yu Xi handcuffed him as well, then returned the way they had come with one of them under each arm.

People saw them on the street, but nobody came to intercept them.

Yu Xi put a hood on Tau, but didn’t cover Kersz’s face. He wanted Kersz to know shame.

Guards were present at the spaceport here, but since this third-class planet was not under the jurisdiction of any of the six coalitions, the guards here were merely private soldiers kept by the largest power in the region.

One of them asked Yu Xi about the two people in his arms, but before he could say anything, Kersz chimed in: “We’re playing a game. The one carrying me is my master.”

Tau wriggled a couple of times, and Kersz clicked his tongue: “Fine, he’s our master.”

The guard: …..

The guard’s face twisted up.

Kersz, however, persisted: “But I’ve known Master longer. That guy over there is new, and I don’t think he’s passed the probation period yet.”

Yu Xi’s complexion improved.

The guard instructed Yu Xi to remove the covering from Tau’s head, and Yu Xi did so.

Tau’s appearance had also been modified.

Yu Xi then handed over all three of their wrists, and the system beeped, confirming their identities.

Tau’s eyes flared wide.

He wasn’t surprised that some of the restrictions on him could be partially lifted, but he was surprised that his identity card could pass inspection.

He naturally knew that there were people who could forge identity cards, but he was also very clear that Yu Xi hadn’t done anything, at least not in front of him. So how was his personal wristpad able to pass inspection?

When had Yu Xi changed his identity card?

How did he possess such advanced technology?

Tau glanced at Kersz, the fellow captive opposite him. Although he said nothing, he was wracking his brains to figure out which camp Yu Xi belonged to.

Upon returning to the starship, Yu Xi dropped Kersz first.

“Oh~ Don’t you think this is a little too cruel to me?” Kersz asked from where he was sprawled on the ground.

“You’re just a sweet-talking bad boy! You’re always coming up with things to get me in trouble.” Yu Xi gritted his teeth and set Tau on a chair. “Now I have a new human.”

Kersz: “I’m going to cry.”

Tau didn’t understand what game they were playing: “I will not betray my father. Either kill me now, or you will regret it later.”

Yu Xi: ?

Why was this human suddenly being so aggressive?

Yu Xi took a step back and looked at Kersz, who was faking tears on the ground: “Baby~”

Kersz immediately understood: “Master?”

Yu Xi looked at Tau again: “If you don’t obey, I’ll let him out to eliminate your father.”

Tau: ?!

Yu Xi then asked Kersz: “You can do it, right?”

Kersz laughed heartily: “Woof~”

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Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13

Anhuai-wang’s palace was located in Henan, in the capital city of Jiyang Prefecture.

It had been built on the same street as the subordinate government offices – that was, the “mini-court” of the entire Henan region.

It was the evening of the 19th.

Dark clouds shrouded the city, and the rain, which had stopped for half a day, showed signs of falling again.

A soldier on horseback galloped all the way from outside the Jiyang Prefecture capital city, stopping only once he reached the gates of the palace.

A servant boy stepped forward to take the reins, and the soldier quickly entered the manor and proceeded toward the main council hall.

Upon seeing the main courtyard steward, he took a letter from his pocket and handed it over.

The steward accepted the letter, then turned and entered the courtyard.

Inside the main room, a fresh-faced youth sat at the head of the table. He wore long robes in dark blue and white, and his high ponytail was fixed in place by a jade guan.

To his right sat an older man well past fifty, sporting a long white beard.

Directly opposite the old man was a man in his thirties. With a broad face and a square jaw, he wore a dignified, solemn expression, and carried the aura of death unique to military commanders.

“Xiansheng.” The youth looked at the older man and said in a gentle voice, “If Ning-wang doesn’t agree to our conditions, are we really going to withhold the grain?”

“Do not worry, Your Highness,” said the old man, Strategist Jiang Yongshou. “Hexi Prefecture is short of food and supplies, and our conditions are not unreasonable. Ning-wang has no reason to refuse.”

“But what if he does?” Anhuai-wang Bai Liming frowned slightly. “There are so many common people. We can’t just watch them starve to death.”

“Please relax, the reply from Hexi Prefecture should arrive soon.”

After saying this, Jiang Yongshou sent a surreptitious glance toward the military officer.

He Zhen was the commander of 30,000 Henan troops, and also the protégé of the old prince.

However, the old prince had been in poor health since childhood and passed away two years ago, which was why his only son, Bai Liming, inherited his title at only eighteen years old.

Jiang Yongshou and He Zhen had followed the old prince before he came to his fiefdom. One a civil official and one a military officer, they worked together along the way.

Before his death, the old prince entrusted the care of Bai Liming to these two men, and at present, decisions on all matters big and small regarding the fiefdom were made after discussion between the three of them.

Bai Liming wasn’t a particularly intelligent person, but he wasn’t a fool either – he was just an ordinary child.

After the old prince passed away, the old princess had doted on her son even more, which caused Bai Liming to develop a somewhat weak personality.

Such a person was incapable of being a wise ruler, nor could he effectively manage a fiefdom.

But for Jiang Yongshou and He Zhen, such a master was absolutely perfect.

The other party was extremely dependent on them, and heeded them both very well.

And no matter what decisions they made, Bai Liming would obediently agree.

But as a result, Bai Liming became increasingly indecisive, while the statuses of these two civil and military officials rose accordingly, thus making them the true decision-makers in Henan.

Anhuai-wang’s fiefdom was the true embodiment of “using a figurehead to control the government.”

If Jiang Yongshou and He Zhen weren’t in contention with one another, Bai Liming might not even have the courage to offer his own suggestions.

This arrangement was likely the last bit of protection the old prince left for his only son.

Outside, the steward knocked on the door.

Upon receiving permission, he took the letter given to him by the soldier and went inside, handing it to Bai Liming.

Bai Liming opened it immediately.

He glanced over the contents and breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face as he said, “That’s great.”

“What does it say?” Jiang Yongshou asked urgently. “Has Ning-wang agreed to our conditions?”

He Zhen’s expression changed slightly, and he took a couple of steps to Bai Liming’s side.

Bai Liming handed him the letter, then turned to Jiang Yongshou with a smile: “Ning-wang said he has enough grain, so we don’t need to send any more.”

Bai Liming was genuinely happy. This way, the common people of Hexi Prefecture wouldn’t starve to death, and he himself wouldn’t have to seize Hexi Prefecture.

Regarding the exchange for Hexi Prefecture this time, Jiang Yongshou and He Zhen, who were usually at odds, actually agreed with each other.

They harbored ambition in their hearts, and were unwilling to remain as obscure strategists and commanders in this fiefdom.

Bai Liming didn’t know how to refuse them, but he really didn’t want to do any of this pointless work. He didn’t want to fight for this or that – he just wanted to live a peaceful, carefree life in his own little secluded corner of the world.

Anhuai-wang was worried.

His father’s dying words to him were that he should not get involved in politics, but simply stay in his fiefdom and live a peaceful life.

The old prince knew his son very well, and he also knew those brothers who were eyeing him covetously.

Therefore, he didn’t stop saying this to Bai Liming until the moment he died, and passed away with his eyes wide open.

“He has grain?” Jiang Yongshou’s expression changed, and he got up and walked to He Zhen’s side, where they read the letter together.

There were just two short sentences: [Hexi Prefecture has sufficient grain. There is no need for Anhuai-wang to trouble himself.]

The handwriting and tone clearly indicated that it had been written by Qin Xiao himself.

While Bai Liming was relieved, the other two looked increasingly grim.

Qin Xiao was clearly mocking them!

Jiang Yongshou shut his eyes, his brow furrowed tightly.

He Zhen didn’t even bother to pretend as he crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it at his feet. Then, with a flick of his sleeves, he stepped right over the crumpled paper and out the door.

At the sight of his anger, Bai Liming immediately grew flustered and didn’t dare reveal his joy so openly anymore.

He sent Jiang Yongshou a cautious look.

The old man stroked his beard, and when he looked at Bai Liming again, his brow was no longer furrowed. He even donned a gentle smile and said: “Your Highness is right. It is a good thing that Hexi Prefecture has grain.”

Bai Liming’s tense nerves relaxed all at once, and he said: “Xiansheng thinks so too?”

“How wonderful it is that the common people will have enough to eat,” Jiang Yongshou said. “It is getting late, please go and have your dinner, Your Highness. This official will take his leave now.”

Although he was a strategist, he had his own residence outside the palace, which the old prince had prepared for him when he was still alive.

Jiang Yongshou rushed home after leaving the palace, but halfway there, a sudden downpour began.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Upon arriving at the manor gates, Jiang Yongshou got out of the carriage.

A servant hurriedly held up an umbrella for him as he walked toward his study at a brisk pace.

He ordered someone to grind ink and dismissed all but one trusted servant.

Approaching his desk, he picked up a brush and dipped it in ink.

A line of text soon appeared on the paper: [The plan has failed. Hexi Prefecture not obtained. The variable is 九.]

He deliberately drew a circle around the character “九.”^[1]

He folded the letter and sealed it in a bamboo tube, then handed it to the servant: “Send this to the prince by fast horse.”

The servant accepted his orders and left.

After a long while, Jiang Yongshou finally set down his brush and exhaled.

He walked to the window and pushed it open.

His aged eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a complex mix of emotions.

The old Anhuai-wang had treated him with utmost sincerity. But unfortunately, since the moment he met him, Jiang Yongshou was already a pawn in someone else’s hands.

No one had contacted him for many years. He had even become accustomed to life in Henan, and had nearly forgotten why he had approached the old Anhuai-wang in the first place.

But now, the chess player had approached him again.

The other party wanted Anhuai-wang to take Hexi Prefecture.

But what would happen after he took it?

Could Anhui-wang keep it in his hands?

Could he even hold onto…..Henan?

He seemed to see before his eyes the young boy’s innocent dependence and prudence.

He was still just a child, ah.

A resolute glint appeared in Jiang Yongshou’s cloudy eyes. Regardless of whether or not Henan could be saved, he would definitely protect Anhuai-wang.

*

*

Chu Jiubian had arrived in Hexi Prefecture on the evening of the 17th. Two days had now passed.

The rain came in fits and starts, and finally came to a brief stop on the morning of the 20th after several days of continuous rainfall.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had been busy from morning till night these past two days, and hadn’t seen each other often.

Even when they did meet, they would only exchange a few words before going back to their own business.

There was so much to do after the disaster.

At the moment, they were just busy settling the refugees and distributing supplies, but they were already overwhelmed. Once the floodwaters receded, they would begin to restore the common peoples’ livelihoods, and that was when they would truly face a shortage of manpower and supplies.

Fortunately, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had recently found several capable individuals among some of the former Hexi Prefecture officials, as well as some wealthy merchants and their sons.

These people may not be considered to be exceptionally talented, but they were conscientious, responsible, and could understand instructions.

Most importantly, none of these people had ever done evil, much less harmed the common people.

In fact, all of these dozen or so subordinate officials had been demoted to remote and obscure positions by their former superiors in the prefecture and counties, just because they disagreed with the political views of their superiors.

Such people may have selfish motives, and might still embezzle, but they were much better than past officials.

Then there were those wealthy merchants and their children. They weren’t particularly wealthy, so even if their family’s younger generations or they themselves had some talent and ambition, they were unable to enter officialdom – because the little money they had couldn’t satisfy the appetites of their superiors.

Now that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had given them the opportunity to enter officialdom, they cherished their positions and certainly wouldn’t do anything improper.

And there was one other very important point.

The “god,” Chu Jiubian.

These subordinates both respected and feared him, and for at least a couple of years, they would be too intimidated by him to cause trouble.

This was enough.

In two years, the common people of Hexi Prefecture would have resumed their livelihoods, and Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian would have the bureaucracy cleaned up.

By then, if they thought that their distance from the capital would allow them to embezzle at will, they would have no chance.

At noon, the rain resumed again after a half day break.

A mist-like drizzle enveloped the entire city, as well as the daoist temple north of town.

Inside the temple, refugees were lining up to receive their lunch.

Although a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun wasn’t enough to fill one’s stomach, it could at least prevent them from starving to death.

Inside the women’s rooms, several aunties gathered by the beds, chatting as they mended clothing.

Among them, one figure stood out.

That was a woman with a large, pregnant belly.

“Dan Niang, you’re feeling a little better, but you should still rest,” an auntie said. “We can do this work. You don’t need to lift a finger.”

Among the refugees were many able-bodied young men who would go out during the day to help the Imperial Court. Although they couldn’t earn money or eat anything good, if they left a good impression on their superiors, they could reap some benefits after the disaster was over.

The jobs they excelled at were mostly physical labor, so they often tore their clothes.

The women would cook porridge and make steamed buns during the day, and after the meal, they would mend the clothes of the young men. The daoist temple had begun to function much like a small, united village.

Dan Niang’s lips took on a gentle curve, and she said softly: “It’s alright, I’m just idling around anyway. I feel much better now.”

“That’s true. Your complexion is much different than before.”

“Then you must continue to take care of yourself, and remember to take that medicine the Divine Lord bestowed upon you.”

“I’ll remember,” Dan Niang said, lowering her head as she gently stroked her pregnant belly. “Thanks to Doctor Zhao and the Divine Lord, I will never act like that again. I will definitely raise my child well.”

This was the last bloodline Sanzhuang left in the world, and also the last thing he left for her.

The way she was before, the fact that the child was still safe and sound must be because Sanzhuang was watching over them from heaven.

Now that a god had descended to earth to protect ordinary people like them, their lives would surely improve. She should cheer up and support her family.

“You surely will.” An auntie clasped her hands together and bowed toward the main hall of the temple, saying, “Now that a god has been reincarnated as the Grand Tutor, he must know of the suffering we’ve endured and come to help us.”

Upon hearing this, everyone including Dan Niang bowed three times in the direction of the main hall.

Meanwhile.

Jian Hongzhuo had already transferred seventeen large ships from surrounding counties around the river. These ships were ones the government used to transport salt, silk, and other goods.

It was unknown what Jiang Hongzhuo said to those local prefects and governors, but it was truly not easy to borrow so many ships in three days.

The raging floodwaters had now almost reached the Huai County seat. If this sinking ship method didn’t work, the flood would surely submerge the entire city.

Qin Xiao had gone to meet up with Jian Hongzhuo, but Chu Jiubian didn’t go with him. Instead, he went to the Huai County granaries.

The stored grain was nearly depleted, so Chu Jiubian intended to buy some from the System.

Qin Xiao had previously ordered people to build “shrines” in every place refugees had been settled in the surrounding area.

They weren’t actually proper shrines; some were brick buildings, while others were just dilapidated huts that were at most wind and rain-proof.

And a shrine must naturally have a statue of its god.

However, given the current situation, not only Qin Xiao, but even Chu Jiubian himself wouldn’t waste resources on something so useless.

So he ordered people to prepare some writing brushes and brush holders, and put one brush in each shrine as an “idol.”

As Dan Niang’s condition improved, and with Doctor Zhao’s promotion, the news that Chu Jiubian was the reincarnation of the “Sacred Star God” spread farther and farther.

Qin Xiao ordered more tinderboxes to be made and distributed to various locations, while also having people spread rumors of Chu Jiubian’s miracles in the capital.

The common people were easily swayed. When they heard those around them saying that “the god does practical things for the people,” they all believed it and went to shrines to kneel and worship. 

All they needed at the moment was food and clothing, so that was what they prayed for.

And Chu Jiubian was able to provide both of these for them, so how could he not do practical things?

Chu Jiubian’s most trusted subordinate was a grain merchant named Han Yuandao. He was in his early thirties, and had come from Shabao Village in the south of Huai County.

Although this man was a merchant, he came from a farming family and was skilled in such work.

Chu Jiubian came to notice him because after the flood, he had secretly transported all of his grain to the affected areas and helped many people make it through the most difficult time of their lives.

After conducting a thorough investigation, Chu Jiubian found that the other party had a particularly good reputation among the common people, especially in his hometown, Shabao Village.

Everyone said that they bought grain from him at fair prices, and he never sold inferior goods to the common people. He always sold the grain as it was.

Just like his name suggested, he had never gone astray.^[2]

Chu Jiubian found that this person was genuinely good. Not only was he upright, but he also remembered his own roots. And someone who could rise from an ordinary farmer to a grain merchant capable of helping so many people must possess a high level of intelligence.

He was practically a natural-born official.

Thus, he summoned the man and asked him if he would be willing to become an official.

The man was stunned at first, then immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times, saying in a trembling voice: “This humble subject is willing!”

In their subsequent interactions, Han Yuandao demonstrated exceptional competence and efficiency. Anything Chu Jiubian ordered him to do, he would complete in the shortest possible time, and do it excellently.

Sometimes, if Chu Jiubian was so busy that he didn’t take care of himself, Han Yuandao would remind him.

It felt like having a super-helpful personal assistant. It was only at this point in time that Chu Jiubian truly understood the joy Qin Xiao must feel when ordering Qin Chaoyang around.

Having a subordinate like this really saved a lot of trouble.

As they arrived at the entrance to the granary, Han Yuandao looked at the nearly depleted grain and asked worriedly: “My Lord, when will the new batch of grain arrive? Should this official go and meet them?”

For the past two days, he had been uneasy about the dwindling grain supply and had asked Chu Jiubian about it.

At the time, Chu Jiubian only said that there would be grain, but didn’t disclose the specifics.

Han Yuandao didn’t press him further, but looking at the empty granary now, he couldn’t help but ask again – though in a more tactful way.

Chu Jiubian said: “It will be here shortly.”

Overjoyed, Han Yuandao subconsciously turned to look toward the official road outside the granary, but didn’t see anything there.

But in an instant, he realized how ridiculous he was being. When His Lordship said “shortly,” he meant that it would be delivered today. How could it be delivered right at this moment?

No matter what time it arrived today, the fact that it would arrive at all was good enough.

With his heart at ease, Han Yuandao looked away and faced the granary in front of him.

With one glance, he froze on the spot.

The granary that was empty seconds ago was now filled with sacks of grain!

Layer upon layer, each one was plump and full, visibly packed to the brim.

“From today onwards, there is no need to be so frugal. Give the refugees more food.”

These Faith Points had all been contributed by the refugees themselves, so Chu Jiubian wasn’t bothered at all by paying them back.

He turned his head and, unsurprisingly, saw a look of astonishment on Han Yuandao’s face, mixed with fear and awe.

Chu Jiubian had done this in front of him for a purpose.

He intended to give Han Yuandao an important position later, but he couldn’t just trust in the man’s grateful, upright, and kind disposition. That was too unrealistic.

Anyone who entered officialdom would change over time, and few would remember their original aspirations.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian needed the other party in fear and awe of him, and to know that he was working for a “god.” This show of supernatural power would ensure that even if he had any wicked thoughts in the future, he would remember this scene today.

Such a shock would be a constant reminder for Han Yuandao to not go astray.

Han Yuandao was in a daze for quite a while, and Chu Jiubian gave a couple of light coughs.

After a pause, Han Yuandao immediately took a step back and bowed to Chu Jiubian: “This humble official was impolite.”

“It’s alright,” Chu Jiubian said softly. “The grain in the other villages is also running out, so instruct people to send them some. There is also some cloth, as well as needles and thread. Send that as well so that the common people can sew their own clothes.”

Chu Jiubian departed after giving these instructions, leaving Han Yuandao there to process what had just happened.

Something occurred to him, and Han Yuandao rushed into the granary to inspect the sacks of grain.

The granary was overflowing, and there was also a large quantity of linen that the common people used to make clothing on a daily basis!

It wasn’t a dream.

This wasn’t a dream!

Rumors that Chu Jiubian was the reincarnation of the “Sacred Star God” had been circulating. Han Yuandao had heard them, but he only saw Chu Jiubian acting and speaking like an ordinary person each day – though perhaps smarter and more powerful than an ordinary person.

Witnessing this scene now, he finally believed in Chu Jiubian’s identity as a “god.”

A god descended to earth.

A god had really descended to earth to help them!

Chu Jiubian went to the daoist temple after leaving the granary.

He had already subscribed to a monthly service that allowed the System to conduct comprehensive medical exams for the refugees, as well as to dispense medicine.

However, Chu Jiubian still had to buy the medicine himself.

He still spent three points to buy the function that isolated him from others, and although it only lasted for a three-hour duration, it was enough.

He walked with an umbrella all the way to the daoist temple, where the refugees had just eaten lunch and were resting in their rooms.

Chu Jiubian entered one of the rooms with the door open.

Although the window was open, with twelve to twenty people crammed in each room, the smell and air quality were truly poor.

Chief Physician Zhang of the Imperial Medical Academy was administering acupuncture to a refugee who had been suffering from diarrhea for two days, while Doctor Zhao watched intently from the side. Physician Zhang would occasionally explain why he was using the needles a certain way, showing that he wasn’t secretive about his methods.

Chu Jiubian had previously thought that this physician was rather opportunistic, with eyes that were constantly full of calculations.

He knew that the other party had likely come with him to provide disaster relief because he remembered how Chu Jiubian had cured Bai Lihai’s cold, and wanted to take this opportunity to learn something from him.

However, even though the other party did have ulterior motives, he wasn’t a bad person.

These past two days, he had been running around treating the refugees without any complaints. Chu Jiubian truly saw in him the saying, “a healer should have a benevolent heart.”

Since this was the case, it was only right to give him some benefits.

Chu Jiubian left the room. The System had already scanned all of the refugees in the temple, and even thoughtfully compiled a table listing who had what disease, what symptoms they had, and how to treat them.

[Host can purchase the list for only 5 points.]

Chu Jiubian: “……”

In the wake of his silence, the System waited for a moment before speaking again: [Host, for only 10 points, this System can give you the check-up lists for the next month.]

“Deal.” Chu Jiubian quickly agreed.

It was the System’s turn to fall silent this time. It then quietly deducted ten points and handed the list to Chu Jiubian.

After a quick readthrough, there were no serious cases. Most were minor bumps and bruises, colds, and diarrhea, with the majority of cases being malnutrition.

Chu Jiubian breathed a sigh of relief. Doctor Zhao would be able to treat these illnesses, so there was no need for him to spend more points to buy medicine.

However, he also needed to visit the other disaster sites posthaste. And then there was Pu County. He had promised to protect the people there, and would only feel at ease once he had checked on them all.

He stood in the courtyard, umbrella in hand.

After a while, Physician Zhang finally came out to get some fresh air and spotted Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian’s expression was distant and aloof when he looked up at him, but Physician Zhang knew the other party must have come to see him.

He hurried over and bowed, saying: “What are My Lord’s orders?”

Chu Jiubian said: “Come with me to visit the other disaster-stricken areas.”

Physician Zhang agreed at once.

The roads were not easy to travel at the moment, so after finishing their business here, the two rode directly to the next disaster areas.

Chu Jiubian inspected each one individually, and even went to Pu County.

Although it was hard work, Chu Jiubian felt at ease knowing that the common people were healthy.

By the time he finished scanning the people in Pu County, it was already dark.

As the person temporarily in charge of the area, Liu Junqi prepared a place for the two of them to rest.

Physician Zhang was twenty years older than Chu Jiubian, and after all of the excitement, he was a little unsteady on his feet.

Upon arriving at his assigned courtyard, he gave a hasty farewell to Chu Jiubian, intending to go wash up and rest.

“Wait a moment,” Chu Jiubian called out to him.

Physician Zhang wondered to himself, What does this ancestor want to do now?!

But he still asked with a smile: “What are your orders, My Lord?”

Chu Jiubian could easily see through his hidden thoughts, and was somewhat amused. But he was a man nearing fifty, and this ordeal had indeed been hard on him.

So he would just make his reward more substantial.

As Physician Zhang smiled at him, Chu Jiubian took a book from his pocket.

This book had been adapted to fit the paper and text of the Great Ning era, so it didn’t look out of place.

“You’ve been working hard these past few days. This book is a gift for you.”

“Thanking My Lord.” Physician Zhang accepted the book and read the characters “Compendium of Materia Medica” on the front page.

His pupils contracted sharply. When he looked up again, Chu Jiubian had already turned and headed toward his own courtyard.

Disregarding his own exhaustion, Physician Zhang hurriedly hugged the book to his chest, fearful of it getting wet from the drizzle.

Then he jogged back to his room and closed the door. His lamp was lit the entire night.

He was unable to get out of bed the next day, so Chu Jiubian and Liu Junqi went to the Pu County dam.

“The barrier is almost complete. Once the water recedes, we can rebuild the dam,” said Liu Junqi.

Chu Jiubian nodded: “Thank you for your hard work.”

“I just did what should be done.”

Chu Jiubian glanced at the man again.

He had a dignified appearance, and because he was a student of Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan’s, his demeanor was exceptionally good.

The situation in the capital was constantly in flux, and Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao couldn’t stay here to keep an eye on things forever. Thus, once the dam in Huai County was blocked, they would have to return to the capital.

However, a high-ranking official was still needed to stay and provide disaster relief. This person should be either Liu Junqi or Jian Hongzhuo.

Chu Jiubian was leaning toward Liu Junqi, but he still needed to conduct a background check first, as well as ask Wang Qichen about his background with the Wang family. If his connection to them was too strong, it was best not to give him too much power.

Moreover, this matter needed to be discussed with Qin Xiao.

When he left Pu County, Chu Jiubian rode back to Huai County alone.

Upon arriving at the magistrate’s residence, his knees suddenly went weak when he dismounted, but he managed to stay upright by holding onto the horse’s back.

After riding a horse for so long without a saddle or stirrups, the constantly tensed muscles of his legs were bound to shake.

When Chu Jiubian’s trousers rubbed against his legs as he walked, the burning pain indicated that they had been rubbed raw.

He glanced down; he was wearing black robes today, but his trousers were white, so if he was bleeding, the blood might seep through.

A servant came over and took the reins with a greeting, then said: “Lord Ning-wang is awaiting you at the residence.”

Qin Xiao hadn’t gone out today?

Chu Jiubian gave a hum of assent and entered the manor. It seemed that Jian Hongzhuo must have succeeded.

Now that the floodwaters had been contained, the next step should be to restore the common people’s livelihoods.

Land would be surveyed, household registrations verified, and order restored. Work-for-relief programs would be implemented to rebuild the dams and dredge waterways, and sweet potatoes and cattle would be distributed to the people to help them cultivate the land…..

So many matters needed to be assigned to the right people.

Only then could he and Qin Xiao set off to return to the capital.

Chu Jiubian entered the manor, and before he could even cross the outer courtyard gate, he spied Qin Xiao walking toward him.

Coincidentally, the man was also dressed in all black today. And his inner garments were all white, including the collar and cuffs, which happened to match Chu Jiubian’s outfit.

Just like at the Qixi Festival.

Qin Xiao immediately noticed the pallor of Chu Jiubian’s face. He must have been very busy the past few days.

However, now that everything was on the right track, there was time to take a break.

He continued walking toward the young man, his attention fixed on him unwaveringly.

Although it seemed like they saw each other every day, Qin Xiao felt like it had been a long time since they last met.

Chu Jiubian looked at him for a few moments before taking another step.

This happened to aggravate his leg injury. Although his expression didn’t change, he felt the blood flowing down his legs, and the legs of his loose trousers clung to them as a result.

It was very uncomfortable.

He should have changed clothes first before coming to find Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao immediately frowned when he reached him: “You’re injured?”

Chu Jiubian: “ ? ”

Do you have the nose of a dog?

---

[1] 九 is the number nine, as well as a character in Chu Jiubian’s name. ⮐

[2] In Han Yuandao’s name (韩远道), 远道 means ‘to come a long way.’ ⮐

---

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Chapter 47 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 49

Ch 11 – A Robot With Very Good Judgment

Despite knowing that the humans on this planet weren’t very friendly, Yu Xi was still very happy.

He was actually walking amongst a group of humans, and they were even humans who had not yet ‘evolved.’ They swore at every turn, and were wary and standoffish from one another.

They were constantly creating a host of problems, using the anger they had nowhere to vent to attack the world or themselves. How lively they were, ah!

Yu Xi looked at the human in front of him, who had just been beaten black and blue.

The human got to his feet: “Are you taunting me?” He had long noticed Yu Xi, who had observed the entire process of his beating.

“I think we should keep calm.” Kersz aimed his gun at the human’s head, which stopped him in his tracks.

With his other hand, Kersz grabbed hold of Yu Xi and pulled him behind him.

“How about being a bit friendlier?” Kersz tilted his head.

The human stepped back.

“You’re so considerate,” Kersz said with a forced smile, and then he quickly pulled Yu Xi away.

Yu Xi kept turning his head to look back.

Kersz pressed down on the back of Yu Xi’s head: “I know human fights are interesting, but if you want to watch, you should make it less obvious. For example, you could angle yourself away while you watch instead of standing right in front of the person like you’re admiring a masterpiece.”

Yu Xi let out an “oh,” then said: “Did I watch for very long?”

“Thirty minutes.”

Kersz had been waiting for thirty minutes.

Yu Xi gave another “oh,” then asked in puzzlement: “What does 咔咯咔古 mean?” His understanding of human language was still limited.

“It’s a swear word.” Kersz didn’t want to explain further.

“What does it mean?” Yu Xi was still curious.

“Eh….they were calling the other party an intellectually disabled person who can’t be fixed by genetic modification.” Kersz attempted to make it as easy to understand as possible.

“I thought it would be related to a family member,” Yu Xi said with some regret.

“Most people here don’t have family,” Kersz said as he put his gun away. “Alright, I’m taking you to see a friend of mine. Could you please stop getting constantly distracted along the way?”

“I’m not constantly distracted,” Yu Xi retorted in a low voice.

“You even tried to run off and watch humans make babies just now,” said Kersz.

“That shop had service robots. Service robots cannot impregnate people or give birth themselves,” Yu Xi reminded Kersz. “I just wanted to see what it looks like when humans completely lose themselves to desire with no hope of extricating themselves.”

Kersz: …..

Robots were terrifying.

“Have you ever experienced such a thing?” Yu Xi recalled what Kersz had told him about his past, and said regretfully, “Oh, right. You spent most of your time playing with a mouse. You should really try it. They say it feels incredible.”

Kersz sighed.

Yu Xi then asked him: “Speaking of which, have you ever had a medical checkup for your reproductive functions?”

Kersz covered Yu Xi’s mouth with his hand, then held onto him tightly and led him to a familiar shop.

Yu Xi didn’t resist. This was quite a novel experience for him.

The shop Kersz took him to was dedicated to body modification.

The construction on this planet was poor, and buildings looked less like they had been designed and more like random materials had been haphazardly piled on top of each other. The skyline was filled with advertisement holograms, a jumble of multicolored lights all crammed together.

But they didn’t block out the stars, because the thick layer of clouds in the sky had already obscured them.

The smell on the streets here was also strange – a strong, pungent mix of sour, rancid odors. It was quite a challenge to one’s olfactory sense.

The body modification shop was very clean, seemingly isolated from the outside world.

It was also not very large. A panel on the counter listed the approximate costs for different body modifications, and behind it were various mechanical parts.

“Welcome in.” A mechanical-sounding voice rang out from inside the store.

Kersz released Yu Xi, who asked in confusion: “We’ve been inside for a while, and it only now welcomed us. It seems like it’s about to break down.”

The silver-haired man sitting behind the counter watching TV glanced up at them, then took a sip of his drink and continued to watch his gory show.

“Boss, do you do heart modifications?” Kersz asked with a smile.

Yu Xi looked at Kersz, and then toward the boss.

“We do. Choose the price range you want.” The silver-haired man waved his hand. 

“You don’t have what I want here.” Kersz shrugged. “Do you have any of those ‘Heart of Glory’ products manufactured by Kassa Corp more than 30 years ago?”

The silver-haired man stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Yu Xi was now certain that Kersz and the silver-haired man were talking in code.

“Heart of Glory is hard to find, guest.” The silver-haired man put down his bottle and stood up with a smile.

“I think you can find it.” Kersz placed his hands on the counter.

The silver-haired man glanced at Yu Xi.

“This is my friend. I don’t like undergoing modification alone,” Kersz said.

“You’re in luck. Come with me to the warehouse and take a look at the goods.” The silver-haired man’s lips trembled slightly, as if he was flustered.

Kersz followed behind the man. He noticed that Yu Xi was craning his neck to get a closer look, so he took a step back and made a “please” gesture.

Yu Xi’s eyes widened slightly, and he pointed to his face.

Kersz nodded, letting Yu Xi observe as he pleased.

Yu Xi was deeply moved. He gave Kersz a hug, then walked in front of him.

The silver-haired man led the two of them to the warehouse, and said after the door was closed: “I knew you weren’t dead, you bastard! Kersz!”

He abruptly turned his head, staring wide-eyed at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi was startled. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he scrambled behind Kersz and squatted down, gripping the hem of his clothes.

The silver-haired man: ?

Kersz stared incredulously at where his clothes were being clutched: “My god.”

“He’s not going to shout at me, is he?” Yu Xi whispered.

“No.” Kersz stared at the hand that was clutching his clothes. “By the way, you’re acting really cute right now.”

“And who is this?” the silver-haired man asked Kersz.

“This is Yu Xi. Don’t try to say his name – the pronunciation is a bit difficult for us,” Kersz said. “He’s a rather dangerous and powerful robot. He has feelings, and shares a certain proclivity with us.”

The silver-haired man didn’t understand.

“Just remember these things,” Kersz told him.

Kersz then introduced him to Yu Xi: “Yu Xi, this is Tau, an information broker and one of my few good friends.”

“Hello.” Yu Xi offered Tau a smile.

“Hello…..” Tau seemed to remember something. He opened his personal terminal and located a photo. “I recently heard news that you were alive, Kersz. Is this the mysterious green-eyed man who was photographed with you?”

“Mysterious green-eyed man?” Yu Xi was shocked.

“This one.” Tau clicked on the photo on the wanted poster.

The moment Yu Xi saw the photo, he covered his head with his hands: “I don’t even have a name.”

Kersz praised Yu Xi: “You’re very photogenic.”

Yu Xi slowly slid his hands toward his face. He wanted to find a quiet place and stay there for a while.

“Is he the one who saved you? What is your relationship with him?” Tau still hadn’t figured out Yu Xi’s identity.

Kersz thought carefully for a moment: “If I had to say, I’d call him my current master.”

Tau: ?

Tau’s face began to wrinkle up.

Kersz reached out and grabbed Tau’s wrist: “I’m borrowing this.”

Tau asked in confusion: “Borrowing what?”

Kersz pulled Tau to Yu Xi’s side, then touched Yu Xi with Tau’s hand.

Yu Xi spread his fingers, peering out between them at the two people opposite him.

“He is a 73-year-old human, in his prime and well-educated, with a history of trauma,” Kersz said. “And his hair is silver. Look closely at his eyes – what color are they?”

Tau: “Ah?”

Yu Xi was astonished: “Heavens, what a beautiful purple.”

Kersz nodded, chuckling: “They’re tinted, but he has good taste. His teeth are also intact. Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

“Will this Mr. Tau hit me?” Yu Xi didn’t move right away.

“Hahaha, of course not.” Kersz patted Tau’s shoulder with a laugh and said to Yu Xi: “I’m now your pet human. If he dares to lay a hand on you, I’ll snap his neck.”

Yu Xi: “…..This doesn’t seem like the way to treat a friend.”

Kersz shrugged: “Sorry. I went a little overboard.”

Tau: “Kersz, what is wrong with you?!”

“Oh, right! Did I mention that Tau is very intelligent?” Kersz’s smile widened. “Of course he’s intelligent. He’s related to the Supreme Governor.”

Tau froze.

“The Supreme Governor’s illegitimate son volunteered to infiltrate this garbage planet to turn a poor, naive little space pirate into a weapon against his political enemies.” Kersz wore an aggrieved look.

Yu Xi suddenly understood: “Your attitude makes a lot more sense now.”

Yu Xi smiled in relief. It seemed there was no problem with his judgment.

---

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Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12

Ch. 70 – Hao Thick Face

When Fang Yang and Cao Zirui were finished laughing, they got back to business.

Cao Zirui went to the counter to ask the hunchbacked shopkeeper about the prices and functions of these magic tools. The shopkeeper was extremely kind and patient as he explained everything. And Crab Eighteen stood next to them, occasionally chiming in with a few words to supplement the conversation. He could be considered a very conscientious guide in the tour guide industry.

Fang Yang listened along for a while, but grew a little bored, so he turned to see what his Useless Shixiong was up to.

Feng Ye was still arm in arm with Hao Chen, feeling that although he had temporarily calmed the fish, his emotions were still somewhat unstable.

Hao Chen stared at Feng Ye for a moment after the man finished praising him, then suddenly looked away and lowered his head so that Feng Ye couldn’t see his expression.

He said nothing, and there was no way to know what he was thinking.

Feng Ye had been keeping an eye on him in order to stop him if he tried anything, and noticed this abnormality.

Although he couldn’t see his expression, he could see Hao Chen’s ears. And at this moment, the tips of them were an uncharacteristic red.

Could it be that Hao “thick face” is shy? Feng Ye thought incredulously.

He was as shocked as if he had discovered a new world, and moved closer, trying to see what Hao Chen was hiding.

But before he could catch a glimpse, Hao Chen raised his head again with a normal expression. The tips of his ears had also returned to normal, as if the red hue Feng Ye saw had been an illusion.

It seems that Hao “thick face” is still Hao “thick face.” Even if he was shy, it was only for a brief moment, Feng Ye thought.

When he saw Feng Ye looking at him with a strange expression, Hao Chen sent him a puzzled look.

Feng Ye smiled, offering no explanation.

Hao Chen smiled back, pretending nothing had happened.

Although his reputation was no longer secure, the Lord of the North Sea was still the Lord of the North Sea. But that wasn’t him right now, so logically speaking, the Lord of the North Sea calling a tortoise a turtle had nothing to do with him.

His skin thickened a bit, a testament to its tempering through countless trials and tribulations. 

“Shixiong!” Fang Yang suddenly left Cao Zirui and ran to Feng Ye and Hao Chen, calling out in a low voice.

The two turned to look at him, and saw Fang Yang send a glance toward Crab Eighteen and the hunchbacked shopkeeper. Seeing that the crab and turtle were talking animatedly to Cao Zirui and not paying attention to them, he ultimately couldn’t hold back, and began to complain to the two of them: “I used to think that the Lord of the North Sea was very majestic, but I never expected him to do something as unreliable as calling a tortoise a turtle. He’s just like the incompetent rulers in the history books who call a deer a horse!”

Fang Yang spoke in a whisper so that neither Crab Eighteen nor the hunchbacked shopkeeper could hear him. Even though Fang Yang had always been naive, he still knew not to bad-mouth an idol in front of his fans.

He just never imagined that although he cleverly hadn’t said it in front of the fans, he ended up saying it to the idol himself.

Hao Chen: “……” 

He once again clenched the hand holding his mini fan. Although he wanted to pretend that the Lord of the North Sea had nothing to do with him, the facts could not be changed. He was the Lord of the North Sea, the one who had called a tortoise a turtle. An incompetent ruler.

The whitewashing Hao Chen had managed to create was shattered by Fang Yang’s words. Seeing that he was about to get angry again, Feng Ye quickly put himself between him and Fang Yang, retorting to the foolish boy who had no idea what disaster he had caused: “You shouldn’t say that. No one is perfect, and no one is without fault. It’s not as if gods are infallible. Think about it, when you’re sleepy, doesn’t your own mind become dull?”

Fang Yang thought about this seriously, and gave a nod.

Feng Ye continued: “The Kunpeng has such heavy responsibilities in the North Sea, and he must be more tired than you can imagine. So when he got sleepy, he couldn’t tell a tortoise from a turtle. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Fang Yang was somewhat persuaded.

Feng Ye went on: “Also, for countless years, despite its remote location and extreme climate, the North Sea has been as prosperous as the largest cities in the world. This is all thanks to the peace in the North Sea that has never been broken all this time. The heavens are not paradise, and wars often occur there, but such disasters have never reached the North Sea. Is this because no one cares about this sea region?”

He answered his own question: “Of course not. This peace is because of the Kunpeng silently guarding it. Because of this, the various tribes of the North Sea have been able to develop peacefully and achieve the prosperity they enjoy today.”

“I was wrong. The Lord of the North Sea is still very powerful!” Fang Yang admitted his mistake and gave a sincere apology. 

Feng Ye turned his head to glance at Hao Chen, and found that his loss of composure was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were downcast, as if he was lost in thought. Although there was no telling what was on his mind, Feng Ye was able to breathe a sigh of relief and pat himself on the back for his quick reaction.

“I’ve bought what I need. Let’s go.” While the three of them were whispering, Cao Zirui had already chosen his magic tools and paid the bill. 

Finished with his commentary, Fang Yang went back to Cao Zirui without any worries and asked: “Where should we go next?”

Crab Eighteen was also watching Cao Zirui, waiting for his sponsor’s word.

Cao Zirui considered for a moment, then said: “Let’s buy some pills.”

After waving goodbye to the hunchbacked shopkeeper, the group prepared to go to the next location.

But as soon as they walked out of the Turtle Shell Shop, Hao Chen suggested to Feng Ye: “Didn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye want to buy some clothes? They’re off to buy medicinal pills, and it’s getting late. To save time, how about I go clothes shopping with you while they’re doing that?”

Feng Ye glanced at Hao Chen, who wore a sincere look that proclaimed, ‘I’m thinking about you.’ But Feng Ye knew this was not the case. This guy was probably afraid that Crab Eighteen would reveal more of his dark history, and was eager to separate him from the crab.

It seems Hao Chen has quite a bit of dark history, Feng Ye thought, but he didn’t expose him. He just pretended to think for a moment, then asked Fang Yang and Cao Zirui: “Then should we split up?”

Both of the youths nodded. They weren’t toddlers who needed an adult to accompany them to the market. Before they parted, Fang Yang turned and said to Feng Ye, who was walking in the opposite direction: “Shixiong, change your clothes quickly, ah!”

Feng Ye: “…..” If he had the money, he would have changed long ago.

He touched the two spirit stones in his pocket. In fact, two spirit stones was enough to buy an ordinary piece of clothing. One spirit stone was worth one or two gold in the human world, which was enough to buy a whole set. 

The issue was that this was not the human world, and the people walking the streets were either cultivators or monsters. Ever since Feng Ye arrived in North Sea City, all of the clothing stores and stalls he’d seen were selling magic items, so two spirit stones was definitely not enough.

Logically, North Sea City was not a long-term human settlement, and the people opening shops here were all sea monsters. Human cultivators would only come here occasionally to sell their wares, and none would stay for a long period of time.

Naturally, there would be no human daily necessities around, and these monsters had no need for clothing at all. Crab Eighteen was a perfect example.

Feng Ye actually didn’t have high expectations of finding clothes he could afford, but he accompanied Hao Chen regardless. Because although this was a thick-skinned fish, once something broke through his defenses, he would throw a tantrum and do a series of unpredictable things.

For the sake of world peace, Feng Ye resolutely agreed to Hao Chen’s suggestion and gave up the pleasure of hearing about his dark history from Crab Eighteen.

The two walked down the street side by side. At first, Hao Chen pretended to look around, as if sincerely helping Feng Ye shop for clothes. 

After walking for a short while, he revealed his true colors. No longer looking at the vendors around them, he simply fanned himself and abruptly returned to the previous topic: “Was Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s previous opinion about the Lord of the North Sea…..genuine?”

Feng Ye turned to look at Hao Chen when he heard this. He was naturally referring to what he had said to Fang Yang.

He didn’t answer immediately, but observed the other’s expression. Hao Chen seemed a little off-kilter. His tone of voice was very cautious, and his sparkling eyes seemed to urge him: ‘Quickly say yes!’

Feng Ye always felt that Hao Chen was full of bad intentions, completely unaware that he was exactly the same. Hao Chen wanted him to say yes, so he said: “No.”

Upon receiving an answer he didn’t want to hear, Hao Chen stopped fanning himself, but still forced a smile and asked: “Why is that?”

Feng Ye rolled his eyes, donning a thoughtful expression: “I’ve never personally seen what kind of person the Lord of the North Sea is. Everything I know is hearsay, and rumors should never be completely trusted. Perhaps what Fang Yang said in the beginning was correct, and he is an incompetent ruler.”

Hao Chen smiled and nodded, gesturing for Feng Ye to continue. But he was holding his mini fan in both hands, practically bending the sides. It wasn’t convenient for him to vent his anger on Feng Ye, so his mini fan took the brunt of it.

Before Hao Chen could break the fan that had already been broken once, Feng Ye suddenly changed the subject. He crossed his arms, observing the bustling market in front of him: “But that was just what I thought before today. Seeing is believing.”

Hao Chen’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Could it be that Feng Ye had really found out?

Feng Ye carried on without prompting: “Whether a monarch is competent or not cannot be determined by others. Only his people are qualified to judge. Although Crab Eighteen was boasting blindly, it’s clear that he truly respects the Lord of the North Sea. And the owner of the Turtle Shell Shop may not have said it explicitly, but his face was filled with admiration when he spoke of his lord.”

“North Sea City isn’t the North Sea, but it certainly has a lot in common with it. If a market like this can be so busy and prosperous, then the North Sea must be even better.”

“A monarch like this who is praised by his subordinates even when he is far away may have some flaws, but overall, he must be a wise ruler. What do you say, Fellow Daoist Hao Chen?” At the end of his speech, Feng Ye raised his eyebrows toward Hao Chen with a smile.

Flattered by the praise, Hao Chen was momentarily stunned. Then he said with a hint of self-satisfaction that he couldn’t control: “I think that what Fellow Daoist Feng Ye said makes a lot of sense.’

Look at this guy, he’s so proud he’s about to float away, Feng Ye thought with amusement. At the same time, he fanned the last gust of wind Hao Chen needed for takeoff, saying with feigned seriousness: “Speaking of which, I very much admire the Lord of the North Sea, such a powerful and prestigious god who guards a place like this.”

“Really?” Hao Chen’s eyes were as bright as night pearls in the deep sea.

Feng Ye nodded earnestly: “Really.”

Hao Chen vigorously fanned himself. Had the conditions here allowed it, he would have transformed into a Peng bird and joyfully flown into the sky.

---

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Chapter 69 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 71

The hand over his eyes moved very softly, retracting once an unknown amount of time had passed.

After a long while, Chu Jiubian finally opened his eyes.

His eyelashes dipped slightly as his gaze swept over the man’s hand hanging at his side, and then away.

“I’m going inside for a bit.” He didn’t look at Qin Xiao after speaking, and turned to walk toward the daoist temple.

Even though the temple had been given to him, the common people wouldn’t believe in a “god” they had never heard of, let alone who was standing in front of them.

Unless this god actually helped them personally, or the people around them continuously said, “This god is truly very effective!”

What Chu Jiubian needed to do now was find an opportunity to make the more influential people among these refugees believe he was a god, and help him spread his divine name.

Moreover, he needed to convince the refugees that he could actually help them.

For example, he could provide them with food, cure their illnesses…..

Inside the daoist temple.

The old doctor administered acupuncture to the crazed Dan Niang, and she visibly calmed.

But although she had indeed stopped making a fuss, her eyes were empty and lifeless.

She took the pearl flower from her hair and held it in her hands, stroking it repeatedly and ignoring everything else. It was as if her entire world consisted of only that pearl flower.

This was Dan Niang in a “clear-headed” state.

She had stopped making a fuss, but she looked even more unsettling than when she had been out of her mind.

“Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Zhao.” The woman who spoke looked at Dan Niang and heaved a great sigh. “What a tragedy.” The other women also regarded her with sympathy and heartache.

How had such a good person, such a good family, ended up like this?

With a sigh, Doctor Zhao instructed them to look after Dan Niang, then slowly made his way to his room.

There weren’t many doctors out in the world in the first place, and he was the one assigned to this temple.

The refugees all looked up to him, and had prepared him a separate room.

He didn’t disappoint them, and spent the entire day treating refugees.

These peoples’ bodies were already compromised due to years of backbreaking work, and now, with the weather so bad and insufficient food and clothing available, many of them were suffering from various ailments.

Rheumatic pain, high fever due to a cold, gastrointestinal upset…..

Ai, this world truly made it impossible for people to live, ah.

Doctor Zhao didn’t lock the door when he went into the room, and just went to the table to pour himself a cup of water.

The door behind him suddenly opened and closed, as if someone had come in.

Thinking that a refugee had come looking for him, Doctor Zhao turned around, only to be dazzled by a burst of light that he quickly raised his hand to block.

The white light gradually dissipated, and the old doctor lowered his hand, squinting as he looked toward the door again.

This time, he clearly saw that there was a man standing at the door.

Dressed in dark robes, the man had short black hair in the front and long, silver-white hair cascading down his shoulders. He was also soaking wet.

He should have looked somewhat of a mess, but the old doctor’s focus was not on any of this. All that met his eyes was the other’s face, like that of a banished immortal, as well as his noble, aloof demeanor.

Doctor Zhao was momentarily stunned.

Then he watched as the man extended his hand, palm up.

In the next instant, a small bottle made of an unfamiliar material appeared out of thin air in his palm!

Chu Jiubian had spent five points to make a deal with the System, and it did as asked, lifting the medicine bottle into the air and delivering it steadily to Doctor Zhao’s hands.

The System maneuvered Doctor Zhao’s hand so that he caught the medicine bottle.

Thud.

The old doctor had never seen anything like this before. His legs buckled and he fell to his knees, barely managing to avoid passing out.

*

*

Qin Xiao watched as Chu Jiubian walked into the daoist temple, weaving through the crowded throngs of people.

For some reason, although the crowd didn’t seem to notice Chu Jiubian, they all made way for him.

Qin Xiao softly rubbed his fingertips, which seemed to bear the lingering dampness from the other’s eyelashes.

A god?

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the aura of that person dissipate, beyond his control.

Not long after, Chu Jiubian exited the daoist temple again and approcahed Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao didn’t ask what he had done; he simply tilted the umbrella over his head again.

Since he didn’t ask, Chu Jiubian didn’t provide an answer. He just inquired: “Where are we staying tonight?”

“The magistrate’s residence. People have already been ordered to tidy up the courtyard.”

The Huai County Magistrate had a history of numerous misdeeds, and this flooding only made him worse than before. Seeing the common people he was responsible for struggling to survive, he kept the granaries closed, and in an attempt to curry favor with a superior, he almost helped Zhou Boshan fill the levee with civilians.

Fortunately, Qin Xiao arrived in time to prevent a tragedy like the one in Pu County.

In the end, due to his heinous crimes, the Huai County Magistrate was among those officials executed outside the city gates.

The premise of “the misfortunes of an individual should not spread to family members” was that benefits shouldn’t extend to family members either. However, the magistrate’s family, young and old, had lived a comfortable life for so many years by relying on him and the common people’s hard-earned money. The magistrate’s manor even occupied nearly an entire street.

In Great Ning, there were specific regulations in place for the residences of officials, which could not exceed the prescribed standards.

However, the required specifications were all of the “how many courtyards deep it can be” type, so these lower-ranking officials simply expanded horizontally. There was always a way to make themselves more comfortable.

The county magistrate had now been executed, and his property confiscated. The rest of his family members were also imprisoned, and once the refugees were all settled, these people would embark on their journey to exile.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao arrived at the county magistrate’s residence together.

For convenience, the two didn’t stay in separate courtyards, but rather in separate bedrooms.

The servants had already prepared hot water and a meal. After both of them had washed up and changed into dry clothes, they went to the main room to eat.

A single oil lamp was lit on the table between them. The wick had been burning for a long time, so the light was somewhat dim.

Rain pattered softly outside as they finished their meal in silence.

After rinsing their mouths, they took a slow stroll around the main room.

The servants cleared the table of dishes and set down tea for two.

Then, it was only the two of them in the room.

Directly facing the door were two chairs with a table between them – this was where the hosts would sit.

Below them were three chairs on either side for receiving guests.

Chu Jiubian went to the seat of honor and sat down. He picked up the teacup on the table next to him, tasting a faint sweetness when he took a sip.

“Is there sugar in this?” He looked up as Qin Xiao approached and took the other seat.

“Xiao Xiangzi informed me,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian didn’t like the slightly bitter taste of tea, and preferred to add some sugar.

Although it sounded a little bizarre or unappetizing, it actually tasted pretty good.

“Actually, it would be even better with some milk,” he said.

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow and didn’t voice his opinion.

But his expression clearly showed his difficulty accepting this.

“I’ll make it for you someday,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao smiled faintly.

Chu Jiubian didn’t notice. He set the teacup back on the table and asked: “How is the dam construction going?”

Qin Xiao’s face lost its slight smile from before, and he said in a grave voice: “The damage to the dam in Huai County is much more severe than the one in Pu County.”

In Pu County, the breach could be sealed using the traditional “vertical blocking method.” However, the Huai County dam was located at a heavy flow point, and any materials used to block the breach would be washed away by the swift current as soon as they were thrown in.

Chu Jiubian frowned. He had thought of a solution, but he hadn’t laid eyes on the situation yet and wasn’t certain it would work.

Outside the main hall was a connecting corridor similar to the one in the eastern courtyard of Yangxin Hall. Qin Xiao had arranged for two city defense soldiers to take turns guarding outside.

At that moment, a soldier knocked on the door and said: “My Lord, Lord Jian has arrived.”

“Send him in.”

The door opened, and Jian Hongzhuo and an official from the Ministry of Revenue named Song Feng walked in and bowed.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had stayed up most of the night, mainly waiting on his Lord Song.

Chu Jiubian was somewhat taken aback by Jian Hongzhuo’s presence. He had thought he was keeping an eye on the dam project.

His gaze dipped slightly downward, and he understood immediately when he saw the roll of blueprints Jian Hongzhuo was holding.

It seemed that Minister Jian had been drawing up plans here all this time, trying to find a way to repair the dam. To have come looking for them so late, he must have come up with a solution.

In order to reach the position of Minister of Works, one must possess genuine talent and ability. Chu Jiubian was genuinely looking forward to his solution.

“Have a seat,” Qin Xiao told the two of them.

“Thanking My Lord.” After thanking him, Jian Hongzhuo took a seat on the left.

Rather than sitting down, Song Feng remained in place and bowed: “My Lords, all of the items in the magistrate’s residence have been inventoried. Six thousand taels of silver, and precious artifacts and paintings worth twenty thousand taels have been seized.”

He stepped forward a few paces and handed the booklet he had been carrying to Qin Xiao, then stepped back.

Qin Xiao took it, ran his eyes over it a few times, and then handed it to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian also glanced over it briefly.

He didn’t take too close of a look, due to the belief that Song Feng wouldn’t dare falsify the accounts.

Because when Chao Shun had a high fever at the post station, it was Song Feng who had stayed to look after him.

The other party had not only witnessed the brutal scene of the guards taking Chao Shun away, but had also personally witnessed Chu Jiubian’s miracle of borrowing sunlight at night. Naturally, he kept all of his small calculations hidden after this.

Chu Jiubian turned to the last page and saw the shocking numbers.

It was astonishing that a mere county magistrate could embezzle so much money, even in a wealthy county such as this.

And this was only what they could see at the moment. In the decades before, the expenses of this county magistrate’s family for food, clothing, and other necessities must have been enormous.

For example, former Deputy Minister of Personnel Zhao Qianhe had embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. But he was a second-rank official in the capital, and worked in the very lucrative Ministry of Personnel.

However, this Huai County magistrate was just a minor local official, not even a prefect or governor, yet he had already embezzled so much.

This just showed how corrupt the officialdom in Great Ning had become.

The confiscated funds would be used for disaster relief, but a specific plan needed to be drafted to determine where it would be used.

Qin Xiao ordered Song Feng to liquidate all of the precious artifacts and paintings, so that the money could be used elsewhere later.

Song Feng accepted the order and withdrew.

Chu Jiubian placed the account book on the table and looked at Jian Hongzhuo, saying: “Has Lord Jian come up with a plan to stem the flooding?”

“I have indeed found a solution.” Jian Hongzhuo stood and walked over, spreading the blueprints down on the table for Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian to see.

“I was thinking of finding some large boats and placing them upstream, then connecting them with ropes and filling them with gravel.” Jian Hongzhuo gestured to the blueprints. “As shown in the diagram, skilled seamen could then be ordered to scuttle the ships…..”

Qin Xiao listened attentively, but just by hearing the beginning, Chu Jiubian knew what Jian Hongzhuo intended to do.

This was the “sinking ship” method – when faced with a dam breach that was too difficult to close due to rapid currents, only such heavy objects could stem the flow. Then, people would be ordered to shovel day and night to reinforce the area, using objects such as reeds and stones to completely block the flow of water.

And once the flood season was over, the dam could be rebuilt.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but send Jian Hongzhuo a few more glances.

This Minister Jian was not one to hide his talents, and was indeed a person of great skill. Chu Jiubian thought that this method might be feasible.

However, shutting off the flow of the river by sinking boats would be too costly.

Just by looking at this diagram, one could see that the Huai County dam breach was quite large, and would require at least fifteen to twenty boats to plug it.

Hexi Prefecture was adjacent to the Ning River, and some county residents did make their livings by fishing, but they all used small boats.

The government could scrape together some large ships in a short period of time, but the money and manpower needed to build each ship was enormous, and it would be too risky to sink so many just to block the dam.

If Jian Hongzhuo didn’t handle this well, he could very well lose everything.

And in sacrificing these government ships, the court would be required to requisition funds for new ones, which would be a huge burden on the current Imperial Court.

It was too big of a risk for anyone to take.

Even Chu Jiubian was unsure whether he should agree.

However, after listening to Jian Hongzhuo’s explanation, Qin Xiao only asked one question: “What are the chances of success?”

After a moment of silence, Jian Hongzhuo said cautiously: “Seventy percent.”

“Do it.” Qin Xiao agreed at once, and even gave him both his personal and official seals.

Jian Hongzhuo didn’t waste any time. Having received the order, he immediately led his men to coordinate and supervise the operation.

Once they left, only Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian remained in the room.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to face Qin Xiao.

Without much hesitation at all, Qin Xiao had agreed to something as risky and costly as blocking the dam with sunken ships.

He had even given Jian Hongzhuo both his personal and official seals, which previously had only entered the hands of Qin Chaoyang.

Qin Chaoyang hadn’t accompanied them this time, staying behind in the capital to look after Bai Lihong instead, so Qin Xiao carried both seals himself.

But given the current situation…..

How could Qin Xiao trust Jian Hongzhuo so much?

Wasn’t he afraid that the other party would take this opportunity to embezzle from the disaster relief funds?

Qin Xiao turned his head to meet Chu Jiubian’s thoughtful gaze. His expression softened slightly as he asked: “Are you wondering why I trust him?”

“Is he one of yours?” Chu Jiubian guessed.

Qin Xiao nodded: “Everyone knows that Jian Hongzhuo is a descendent of meritorious officials, the last remaining survivor of a family of loyal martyrs.”

He got up and paced to the window, looking out at the tall, straight figure receding into the distance: “But no one knows that he was entrusted with the care of my grandfather. He was also a close friend of my father’s.”

Before, Qin Xiao had been able to cooperate with Qin Feng in the palace coup and push Bai Lihong to the throne – and this was in no small part due to the covert support of the Minister of Works.

Jian Hongzhuo enjoyed a free and easy lifestyle. If Qin Jingzhao and his wife hadn’t suddenly died in battle, he would have long since resigned from his post and wandered the world with his loved one.

But life was unpredictable. His good brother had died in a conspiracy plot, leaving behind the elderly Grand Marshal, as well as the young siblings, Qin Xiao and Qin Feng.

Naturally, he could not stand idly by. This was why he remained in the court, clinging to the position of Minister of Works. When the time was right, he would be able to protect the Qin family and even find a way to uncover the truth behind the deaths of Qin Jingzhao and his wife.

But he hadn’t expected the Qin siblings to be so formidable that, after their mentor the Grand Marshal passed away, they would go all out and take that supreme position directly into the hands of the Qin family.

Although he did aid them in some ways, he was truly amazed by the siblings’ decisiveness, as well as their grasp on the political situation and peoples’ hearts.

As a result, Jian Hongzhuo felt more confident, and thought that once Bai Lihong’s position was stable and the cause of Qin Jingzhao and his wife’s deaths was uncovered, he would resign.

Therefore, he maintained his “salted fish” attitude and didn’t let anyone discover his relationship with Qin Xiao.

Like this, he would be able to safely withdraw from the chessboard in the future.

However, the flooding had clearly caused Qin Xiao a great deal of trouble, and with so many common people in the two counties suffering because of it, Jian Hongzhuo could not stand idly by, and thus unexpectedly stepped forward.

However, after returning from the disaster relief mission, this minister whose position was so leisurely that he was basically marginalized could no longer remain aloof.

Once you stepped into the vortex of power, you could only move forward, and none could escape unscathed.

Chu Jiubian went to Qin Xiao’s side and looked out the window with him.

Among the so-called “pure” officials in the court, from Zhao Qianhe, the former Deputy Minister of Personnel who had been exiled, to Jian Hongzhuo now, not one of them was truly “pure.”

Then what about Su Sheng?

Was that high-ranking official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue truly able to remain in power for so many years due to his outstanding competence?

Since he dared to share profits with the Su family and the four great families, did he really have no fallback plans at all?

If so, then his only way out seemed to be the seven vassal kings.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at the person next to him. The man’s eyes were deep and dark, and his entire being was shrouded in a sense of isolation that Chu Jiubian could empathize with.

The Regent, second only to the emperor, carried a burden that was much too heavy and all-encompassing.

He had no one to rely on and no fallback options; he could only walk forward alone in the struggle for power, encircled by wolves.

Just like this flood – if it weren’t for a hidden pawn like Jian Hongzhuo stepping forward to help him repair the dams, who would he be able to trust? And how would he be able to resolve this crisis?

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes slightly.

He and Qin Xiao were very similar in some ways.

The two remained silent for some time, their shoulders very close together. If either of them moved even slightly closer, they would be touching.

However, neither of them crossed that line, and simply maintained a restrained distance.

The light in the room grew dimmer.

It threw the flickering shadows of their two figures across the wall, sometimes with a gap between them, and sometimes overlapping.

Like two lonely, solitary souls.

The pattering rain continued without abating.

A servant rushed through the rain and knocked on the door, breaking the silence in the room.

The two turned around to look.

Qin Xiao responded, and the servant opened the door and came in. With a respectful bow of his head, he offered the two of them a letter wrapped in oilcloth.

Having done this, he silently left and closed the door.

Qin Xiao opened the letter and walked back toward the oil lamp with Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian moved closer to him so that their shoulders and arms touched.

Beneath the thin layer of clothing, Chu Jiubian could feel the contours of the man’s firm muscles.

His gaze shifted for a moment before he turned his attention to the letter.

The letter was sent from the prefectural city and signed by Kou Zimo, a senior official in the Ministry of War. Qin Xiao had kept him at the prefectural governor’s manor in order to investigate the truth behind the governor’s “suicide out of fear of punishment.”

The matter had now been investigated.

And it began with Zhou Boshan.

He was the well-known son-in-law of the Xiao family, as well as a rising star whom the Xiao family promoted through the dam repair project.

For fear of being blamed for the flooding, he had ordered the killing of civilians and used them to fill the dam.

He would surely die a horrible death if his actions were discovered, and might even implicate the Xiao family, tarnishing their reputation.

If it were someone else investigating, the Xiao family might still have had room to maneuver – but it was Qin Xiao who had come.

Qin Xiao had recently been concerned about how to target those powerful families, and now that they’d made such a big mistake, not only would the reputation of the Xiao family be affected, but even Xiao Wendao, the Deputy Minister of Works in the capital, might be implicated.

Therefore, these evil deeds could not be connected back to Zhou Boshan and the Xiao family.

Otherwise, what would the Xiao family do?

At this time, Kou Zimo had discovered correspondence between Lu Yuan and Huguang-wang Bai Liyue, hidden in a compartment in the governor’s study.

Lu Yuan was also a well-known member of the Xiao family faction, but these letters suggested that he may have already betrayed them and secretly become involved with Huguang-wang.

Kou Zimo’s first thought was that the Xiao family had discovered this and took the opportunity to kill Lu Yuan.

Firstly, Zhou Boshan’s crime could be pinned on him, and secondly, a traitor would be eliminated.

As for the third —

Once Lu Yuan’s seat was vacant, the Xiao family could promote Zhou Boshan to the position, and then Hexi Prefecture would still be under the control of the Xiao family.

They would have killed three birds with one stone.

This seemed to be the truth of the matter.

However, Kou Zimo was a cautious person, and there were officials from the Ministry of Justice around him. Therefore, instead of coming to a hasty conclusion, he continued to investigate and left no stone unturned.

During his investigation, he indeed discovered two points of doubt —

The handwriting on these letters was very fresh!

Although the writer of this letter had done his best to imitate Lu Yuan’s handwriting, there were still some differences in the details.

Therefore, these letters showing a connection with Huguang-wang had been forged by somebody else.

And the forger had used the same handwriting as the person who wrote the “suicide note.”

Was this done by the Xiao family?

Had the Xiao family killed Lu Yuan and then fabricated a letter between him and Huguang-wang to make it look like he wasn’t actually affiliated with them?

This way, even if Zhou Boshan’s evil deeds were attributed to Lu Yuan, it would implicate Huguang-wang instead of the Xiao family.

The Xiao family had so many members that it was reasonable to assume that they wouldn’t abandon Lu Yuan, who was already a prefectural governor, for the sake of Zhou Boshan, who had yet to make a name for himself.

However, since Lu Yuan didn’t share their surname, he could become the lackey of another faction.

Zhou Boshan was a son-in-law of the Xiao family, so their reputation would inevitably be affected.

It was not impossible for the Xiao family to abandon Lu Yuan for the sake of their reputation.

Kou Zimo briefly explained his reasoning process, and the conclusion he came to was:

The Xiao family forged the letter turning Lu Yuan into Huguang-wang’s man, and then forged the suicide note, where Lu Yuan took responsibility for all of the crimes.

This cleared Zhou Boshan of suspicion and preserved the Xiao family’s reputation.

The handwriting on the letters was fresh because everything had happened so suddenly.

The Xiao family had never expected that Zhou Boshan was both wicked and stupid, capable of doing so many despicable things, and could only come up with this last-minute method to protect him.

Qin Xiao burned the letter.

The last glimmers of light from the oil lamp grew even dimmer, and the room slipped further into shadow.

Chu Jiubian could barely make out the furnishings in the room; only Qin Xiao beside him stood out more clearly under the lamplight.

The man turned his head to look at him, and his voice was somewhat grave as he said: “Do you think it was the Xiao family?”

Chu Jiubian pondered for a moment, then said: “If it was the Xiao family, why would they involve Huguang-wang in the forged letter?”

Powerful noble families controlled the Imperial Court, maintaining a delicate balance with the vassal kings. The Xiao family wasn’t powerful enough to just do as they pleased, so how could they dare involve a vassal king?

Moreover, this was the most powerful and difficult to deal with Huguang-wang.

The Xiao family would be putting themselves in a precarious position by offending him, caught between a rock and a hard place. Would they be that foolish?

“If I were Xiao Yao, I would have given up on Zhou Boshan immediately after learning what he did,” Qin Xiao said.

He was a son-in-law of the collateral branch of the Xiao family, and it was only because he happened to be in Hexi Prefecture that he had the opportunity to follow Jiannan-wang and gain merit.

Given his recent stupidity and malice, protecting him would only bring trouble, so it would be better to eliminate him directly.

On the other hand, they felt more comfortable using Governor Lu Yuan, and had no reason to forge documents to make him take the blame.

As for the Xiao family’s reputation and the punishment Qin Xiao might impose on them, they could only grit their teeth and bear it.

There was ample time, and they could make their plans slowly.

Qin Xiao looked at the young man and found the firelight illuminating half of his face, the other half cast in flickering shadows.

He said: “So there is a third party behind this.”

This third party intended to frame the Xiao family for Lu Yuan’s death, and incidentally use the letters to sow discord between them and Huguang-wang.

One was the most powerful of the noble families, and the other was one of the most powerful vassal kings. When these two sides clashed, it would be a battle between the snipe and the clam.^[1]

The third party was the fisherman who benefitted.

Chu Jiubian asked with a frown: “Could it be one of the other three great noble families? Or perhaps a vassal king?”

He was actually partial to the latter. 

The situation in the capital was unclear, and no one, including Qin Xiao, Chu Jiubian, and the four great families, wished to involve a vassal king at this time.

Therefore, this was likely the work of one of the vassal kings.

Huguang-wang wouldn’t be foolish enough to put himself out in the open, so it could only be one of the other six.

Qin Xiao paused for a moment, then said: “I asked Henan for grain yesterday.”

Henan.

That was the territory of Anhuai-wang Bai Liming.

Hexi Prefecture was out of grain, and the grain from the two nearby prefectures had recently been sold to the southern regions. Currently, the two places that could send grain here the quickest were Northern Zhili and Henan.

Even at the pace Chu Jiubian marched, it would take three days for the grain to be transported from Northern Zhili.

Moreover, with nobody in the court capable of handling this matter, Qin Xiao had no way of knowing that the grain wouldn’t be embezzled.

It would be better to borrow grain from Henan, which was right next to Hexi Prefecture. Then there would be no need to worry about embezzlement, and he only needed to receive the required grain. 

Moreover, Henan was only a day’s march from Hexi Prefecture, and possessed large granaries.

But Anhuai-wang wouldn’t send him grain for free. He would definitely want some benefits in return.

“He wants Hexi Prefecture,” said Qin Xiao.

Chu Jiubian’s heart skipped a beat.

In an instant, everything seemed to make perfect sense.

If Anhuai-wang was the third party, then he had planned everything from the very beginning.

When he learned that Jiannan-wang had come to repair the dams, he devised a plan.

He tried every means to divert or destroy the grain from Hexi Prefecture and other nearby regions, and then destroyed the dams.

When the dams were destroyed, the first to be held accountable would be Jiannan-wang and the Xiao family.

Since he was a member of the Xiao family faction, Governor Lu Yuan’s suicide would clearly confirm their guilt regarding the “embezzlement of construction funds.”

With the dams destroyed and no grain available in Hexi Prefecture, the Imperial Court would have no choice but to transfer grain from Henan.

And with this, Anhuai-wang could legitimately request Hexi Prefecture.

The location of Hexi Prefecture was very clever, situated precisely at the junction between the provinces of Northern and Southern Zhili, as well as the connection between Henan and Shandong. It was also a wealthy prefecture, making its location very important.

In the face of food shortages, the Imperial Court could either agree to give him Hexi Prefecture or directly transfer grain from Northern Zhili.

But if the grain were to be transferred from Northern Zhili, the process would be very slow, and Anhuai-wang could send people to incite the refugees into launching an uprising.

At that time, the Xiao family’s reputation would be ruined, the common people would riot, and the court would lose their support. The accusation of divine punishment might even be leveled at them for the Emperor’s illegitimate ascension to the throne or Qin Xiao holding power as an Imperial family member.

These were the things Qin Xiao feared the most, so he was very likely to agree to Anhuai-wang’s proposal.

It was an excellent plan. If this operation were to be carried out, Anhuai-wang may very well succeed in taking over Hexi Prefecture.

But he forgot to take Zhou Boshan into account.

This person was both wicked and stupid, and actually came up with the idea of using the common people to fill the dams.

Qin Xiao would definitely investigate such a huge calamity when he arrived, and may uncover more of the inside story – even the parts leading back to Anhuai-wang.

Anhuai-wang had no choice but to change his original plan and make another move.

That was why the letters between Lu Yuan and Huguang-wang were forged. His intention was to frame the Xiao family for Lu Yuan’s death, and then implicate the vassal king, making the situation in Hexi Prefecture even more unpredictable.

In this way, he could better conceal himself.

The number of refugees had decreased sharply simply because Zhou Boshan had killed so many people.

In addition, Chu Jiubian was the one escorting the silver and grain this time. He had rushed as fast as he could, and by sheer coincidence, the remaining grain in Hexi Prefecture had lasted until the day the disaster relief grain from Northern Zhili had arrived.

Anhuai-wang must have been worried that he wouldn’t be able to exchange his grain for Hexi Prefecture.

But it seemed he had achieved his goal. There wasn’t enough food, so Qin Xiao eventually had to ask him for more.

Chu Jiubian said: “Since he wants Hexi Prefecture, we won’t give it to him.”

Qin Xiao looked into Chu Jiubian’s eyes, saying nothing.

If this person was able to transport grain to Nanjiang without anyone noticing, he could certainly do the same here.

“As long as they have faith in me, I can save them,” Chu Jiubian said.

His Faith Value was slowly increasing, likely thanks to Doctor Zhao.

But he needed more.

He also wanted to exchange points for more medicine and food, and buy high-yield sweet potato seedlings so that the common people of Hexi Prefecture could plant them and quickly restore their vitality.

And he had many more things to do when he returned to the capital, all of which required faith.

“Do you need more temples?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian had discovered that he and Qin Xiao were indeed very compatible in many ways. They didn’t need to explain many things to each other, as they understood the other party’s thoughts.

“No need for temples,” Chu Jiubian said. “A dilapidated house will do.”

What form it took didn’t matter. As long as people believed in “Chu Jiubian,” he would gain Faith Points.

They stood facing each other, their eyes locked.

The dying oil lamp finally went out, plunging the room into complete darkness.

Either of them could have easily asked someone to light another oil lamp, which could have been replaced before it went out. They even had tinderboxes on them.

However, neither of them made a move. From the very beginning, they had been tacitly waiting for this moment of darkness to arrive.

Darkness deprived one of sight, thus amplifying one’s senses and urging them to do things they wouldn’t normally do and say things they wouldn’t normally say.

Chu Jiubian could only vaguely make out the outline of the person across from him, but he could also sense that person’s gaze.

He seemed to be anticipating something, yet was also fearful of it.

After a long while, the man’s voice finally rang out.

“Will it hurt you?” he asked.

Chu Jiubian knew he was referring to the day of the assassination attempt, when firing the gun had torn off one of his fingernails. 

“It won’t.”

After a long stretch of time, Qin Xiao finally moved.

He turned and walked toward the door, lighting a tinderbox as he went.

“Rest. I will go make arrangements.” He opened the door and strode out without looking back.

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[1] This saying is based on the old proverb” “In a fight between a snipe and a clam, the fisherman comes out on top.” The story goes that a snipe flies down to peck at a clam, which shuts on the bird’s beak and traps it. While they’re stubbornly battling, a fisherman comes by and nets them both. ⮐

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Chapter 46 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 48

Ch 10 – Forbearance and Restraint

“Listen, since you’re coming with me to a third-class planet, you need to act like someone who shouldn’t be trifled with,” Kersz told Yu Xi.

Kersz had asked Yu Xi if he’d like to start off by abducting a few humans from a third-class planet, but Yu Xi was now very cautious. He decided to get a look at the situation first, and act if the opportunity arose.

Yu Xi had also realized that his behavior was a little strange when he interacted with humans.

“I’m already not someone to be trifled with.” Yu Xi had a fairly clear understanding of his own strength. “If I wanted to, I could wipe out your civilization right this moment.”

Kersz froze, then sent Yu Xi a helpless look: “Please stop reminding me that I’m letting a wolf into the house. I have no way to resist in this situation. I’m too weak…..are you nervous?”

“What is there to be nervous about?” Yu Xi didn’t understand.

“You’ve been picking at your hands,” Kersz said, gesturing to them.

Yu Xi gave an “oh” and immediately separated his hands.

“It’s just…..it’s just that I haven’t been around so many humans in such a long time. And when I saw them from afar last time, they didn’t seem very friendly.” Yu Xi was uncertain whether these humans would speak loudly and aggressively.

Kersz stared at Yu Xi.

“You know, I’m much stronger than them. If I wanted to, I could have destroyed their fleet in an instant.”

Yu Xi started to clasp his hands together again, but he quickly realized what he was doing and separated them. He coughed and let them drop to his sides: “But….”

“But they were a little too unkind.” Yu Xi cleared his throat. “They didn’t even give me time to explain.”

Kersz added: “They didn’t even give you time to hand me over.”

“I wouldn’t treat you so heartlessly…..most of the time.” Yu Xi’s tone was a little lacking in confidence.

“Wow, you’re so nice.” Kersz pretended not to hear Yu Xi’s hesitance, and looked him up and down. “Are you going to change your clothes?”

“Is this outfit ugly?” Yu Xi looked down at his clothes. “I carefully selected these.”

“That’s the problem. You’re a remarkable artificial intelligence, and even though you haven’t seen a third-class planet in person, you should know that these aren’t places where high-class humans gather. You don’t need to act like a socialite there.” Kersz holstered a gun at his waist.

“I know, that’s why I chose this outfit. The pattern on it is only visible under specific lighting conditions.” Yu Xi lowered his voice: “The blue stripes look like those of the blue morpho butterfly.”

“Wa…..” Kersz had no chance of repeating that word, and gave up after uttering the first syllable. “Whatever that is, you need to change clothes unless you want to be kidnapped by vicious outlaws…..what are you smiling about? Oh, I forgot that you wouldn’t see that as a bad thing.”

Yu Xi suppressed his smile: “Would they kidnap me to extort money from me? But I don’t have any of your currency.”

Kersz: “They may not be able to hurt you, but you should understand that they’re some of the unfriendliest people around.”

“They will yell at you, and try to hurt and intimidate you,” Kersz continued to caution.

“You’re also a space pirate,” Yu Xi said, pointing at him.

“But I’ve known from the beginning how powerful you are, and that I can’t afford to mess with you.” Kersz shrugged. “Believe me, kind and gentle people can’t survive in that sort of environment.”

“Of course I know that.” Yu Xi’s database contained relevant information. “Humans who live in this sort of environment are not to be trifled with.”

Kersz felt a sense of gratification.

Yu Xi pursed his lips: “But perhaps they just need a little sense of security.”

Kersz: “Don’t harbor any illusions about space pirates and the like.”

“Don’t you long for someone who will trust you wholeheartedly? A gentle and understanding person who doesn’t treat you as a space pirate, but as a heartbroken child?” Yu Xi asked Kersz.

“And then use them for my benefit?” Kersz asked.

Yu Xi reared back in shock: “Heavens!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the habit of wanting others to like me. If someone truly sees me as a heartbroken child, I’ll just think they’re looking down on me, and I’ll unscrupulously exploit them as a form of revenge.” Kersz made no attempt to hide his true thoughts.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” Yu Xi was very shocked.

“Of course I do. I have no intention of hiding what I’m like from you anymore. You wouldn’t buy it anyway,” Kersz said. “And your power is slightly outside my range of control…..well, not ‘slightly.’ In short, I’m afraid that if something happens to you, you’ll vent your frustrations on us in a fit of rage. At that point, it will be too late for me to have regrets.”

Yu Xi carefully pondered Kersz’s words, then said: “Do you think I’m the kind of person who wants others to like me?”

“You’re the kind of person who forces others to like you,” Kersz said. “Did you just ignore everything I said after that?”

“I heard you. You are no longer going to hide. You plan to show me your true, authentic, unfiltered self.” Yu Xi shifted in place, straightening his back. “I’m so glad. You’re such a good person~”

Kersz opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He spent some time straightening his clothes, then felt that he should say something, but found himself shutting his mouth again.

Was that what he meant?

It seemed like a valid interpretation.

“Perhaps our communication still needs some work,” was all Kerz could say.

Yu Xi: “Most likely. Oh! To help us communicate better, please say ‘blue morpho butterfly.’”

Kersz froze.

Kersz: “You realize I can’t pronounce that, right?” Yu Xi was using him for amusement again.

Yu Xi: “I haven’t realized anything. I’m just curious.”

Kersz: “Did the ancient humans ever tell you that you’re a devious robot?”

Yu Xi: “They thought I was sweet.”

Kersz: “It seems they weren’t so omnipotent after all.”

Kersz looked around: “Do you have any high-tech equipment here that can disguise your appearance?”

“I do. What are you planning?” Yu Xi asked.

“We’re both wanted criminals now, so we have to disguise our faces,” Kersz said.

Yu Xi gasped and covered his face with his hands: “We really have to?!”

Kersz: “…..Are you averse to that?”

Yu Xi: “My face is very handsome.”

Kersz stared blankly.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an emotionless robot?! He was such a narcissist that he couldn’t bear to cover up his handsome face!

*

*

The black starship docked at the spaceport on Ashfall.

A man with a dark red buzzcut was the first to disembark. This man had a square jaw and a high browline that cast a shadow across his eyes, as well as a scar at the corner of his mouth. People of this era would keep scars that held a special significance to them, even though the technology existed to erase them at any time.

Following close behind him was a man with short gray hair and gray eyes, emanating a sense of aloofness. His facial features were sleek, with a high nose bridge and thin lips, and his brow was slightly furrowed, as if he was holding himself back from something.

The aloof man quickly strode to his fierce-looking companion’s side and said: “Kersz, how much longer do I have to maintain this expressionless face?”

“Until we reach our destination,” said Kersz. “Don’t stare any humans in the face.”

“I know.” Yu Xi sucked in a deep breath. “But there are so many humans here.”

“They have nothing to do with you,” Kersz reminded him.

“Not necessarily. They just have nothing to do with me right this moment…..oh, I can hear their heartbeats and footsteps.” Yu Xi felt a little like shouting at the top of his lungs. He hadn’t had contact with a human community for ages.

“You’re like some kind of pervert,” said Kersz.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.” Yu Xi had been isolated for far too long.

“In any case, control yourself,” Kersz said through gritted teeth.

“I am in control. I won’t actively interact with humans.” Even though Yu Xi really wanted to do that.

They walked through the lobby and took an elevator to the ground floor.

Yu Xi attempted to straighten his furrowed brow.

Suddenly, a hand grasped Yu Xi’s arm.

“What are you upset about?” A flamboyant-looking man raised an eyebrow at Yu Xi. “If you want a little something to make you happy again…..”

The man abruptly fell silent, because he saw a smile spread across the gray-haired man’s expressionless face.

In a split second, white teeth flashed into view.

The man released his grip, but his wrist was immediately grabbed.

“Hey! Hey!” Yu Xi called out to Kersz.

Kersz had realized that there was something wrong with this man when they walked past him, but his reaction was clearly too late.

Yu Xi clutched the man’s wrist: “He touched me! He touched me with his hand!”

He then took the man’s hand and smacked it against his arm, saying: “That’s how he touched me, right there!”

Kersz: ……

“Does he want to come with me?”

“He wants to sell you contraband.”

Yu Xi’s smile faded. Then he said: “Will he come with me once he sells all his goods?”

Kersz: “He’s not suitable to be raised at home.”

Yu Xi: “But…..”

Kersz: “Let him go!!”

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Chapter 9 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 11