Li Wei felt that being steward to someone as contradictory as Commander Mo was utterly exhausting.
If time could reverse, he would rather work for Minister Liu, the one with eighteen concubines. Even if all eighteen women’s thoughts were bundled together, they probably still wouldn’t be as convoluted as this cold-faced Commander Mo.
But time clearly could not reverse, so Li Wei could only clear his throat and cautiously ask, “Master, have you gone to see Gu Mang yet?”
“…No.”
“Oh.” Li Wei let out a breath of relief. “Then it’s best if you don’t see him.”
“Why?”
“Well… Master, it’s like this. Gu Mang’s current condition… let alone recognizing you, he probably doesn’t even clearly know who he himself is. According to the physicians, deep down he seems to believe he is a mighty and majestic male wolf.”
Mo Xi’s eyes widened. “He thinks he’s a… what?”
“A mighty and majestic male wolf.”
Mo Xi: “…”
This was truly the most absurd sentence he had heard all year.
He pressed a hand to his temple and took a long moment before speaking slowly. “Which physician came to that conclusion? Are you sure the physician’s brain isn’t the one with the problem?”
Li Wei rarely saw such shock on his master’s face and couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter, but seeing Mo Xi’s expression, he hurriedly straightened up again.
“Master, when we first heard this, none of us believed it either. Back when Gu Mang had just been brought back to the city, many nobles went to the prison to settle scores with him, but he couldn’t say a single coherent sentence. Instead, he only made them angrier.” Li Wei paused before continuing. “Later, His Majesty handed him over to Lord Wangshu for disposal. At first Lord Wangshu also wanted to pry information out of him, but no matter what methods he used, Gu Mang knew nothing.”
Li Wei sighed and shook his head. “He truly has no awareness of himself as a human being.”
Mo Xi silently digested this for quite a while before lifting his gaze and letting it settle on the small clay teapot steeping tea. Steam curled upward in thin wisps, winding around itself.
“…I also heard… his soul is damaged.” Mo Xi paused. “What happened?”
Li Wei froze for a moment, wondering how his master—who was never one to ask around for news—would know this.
Still, he answered quickly. “It is damaged, though we don’t know exactly how. We only know he was already like this before he was sent back.”
Mo Xi frowned. “He was already like that when they returned him…”
“Mm. Back when Gu Mang first entered the city, our medicinal cultivators examined his pulse. They said his soul, heart meridians, and spirit core all showed signs of recent damage. It was definitely done by the Liao Kingdom. They used some wicked secret technique to extract two of the three souls and seven spirits, and even made him believe he was no different from a beast.”
“……”
Mo Xi fell silent for a moment before feigning indifference and asking, “Missing two spirits… what effect does that have on a person?”
“That depends on which two are missing. Shennong Terrace said the two Gu Mang lost—one affects memory, and one affects intellect. In other words, he’ll have problems in those areas. Other than that, it shouldn’t affect him too much.”
Mo Xi lowered his lashes. “I see…”
“Exactly. Because he lost the spirit affecting intellect, back in the beginning he had completely lost the ability to speak. Later, after Lord Wangshu kept him in Luomei Garden, the attendants trained him for a full two years before he could understand what we were saying and barely speak a little.”
As Li Wei spoke, he sighed sincerely. “Back then everyone called him the beast of the divine altar. Now… he really isn’t much different from a beast.”
This was precisely why everyone had been so stunned two years ago when Gu Mang was escorted back.
At that time, the city gates opened wide, and the prison cart carrying the traitor Gu Mang slowly entered Chonghua territory. What the commoners lining the official road saw was Commander Gu locked in a cart together with several wolves.
Inside the cart was also a stag. The wolves tore into the venison, blood splattering everywhere. Gu Mang didn’t even dodge. He merely crouched quietly among the pack, expression calm. The vicious wolves seemed to regard him as one of their own. One female wolf even dragged over a deer leg and placed it before Gu Mang as an offering.
Gu Mang extended his hand, dipped a finger into the blood, and licked it from his lips with indifference. Finding it unpleasant, he lowered his hand again…
Mo Xi listened in silence.
At this point, Li Wei scratched his head. “But Master, there’s something I don’t understand.”
Mo Xi turned his dark brown eyes toward him, expressionless. “Hm?”
“If the Liao Kingdom was going to send him back anyway, why go through all the trouble of destroying two of his spirits?”
“…Perhaps he knew too many secrets.” Mo Xi said. “Extracting two spirits solves everything at once.”
Li Wei clicked his tongue. “Wow, that’s ruthless. Then is there any chance of restoring his mind?”
Mo Xi shook his head, burdened with thoughts, and did not answer.
Two spirits removed—unless those spirits were found and restored through magic, there was no hope. But in this vast world, who knew whether Gu Mang’s missing spirits still existed, or where they might be?
“I heard Lord Wangshu spared his life because he wanted him to experience a fate worse than death,” Li Wei said. “But from what I hear, Gu Mang is calm as ever now. It doesn’t seem very satisfying. Lord Wangshu’s plan seems to have failed.”
“Oh, right.” Li Wei suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Mo Xi, “Since returning to the city, have you seen Lord Wangshu?”
Mo Xi shook his head. “No.”
Though Lord Wangshu held an important position in the military administration, it was little more than a useless post for idling away his days. Born into privilege and arrogant from status, out of 365 days in a year, it would already be impressive if he showed up fifteen.
Mo Xi raised his eyes. “Why ask about him all of a sudden?”
Li Wei said, “He’s become even worse these past few years. If you run into him, Master, don’t stoop to his level. You know he’s always looking for ways to make trouble for you.”
“……”
Mo Xi was not surprised at all.
Chonghua had three great gentlemen, whose virtues corresponded to the Buddhist precepts of restraint, concentration, and wisdom.
Jiang Yexue, calm within and unmoved by honor or disgrace, was called “Concentration.”
Princess Mengze, renowned for her benevolence, was honored as “Restraint.”
Opposite them were three infamous scoundrels, perfectly matching Buddhism’s three poisons: greed, anger, and delusion.
Of these three poisons, the one most closely tied to Mo Xi was “Greed.”
Greed referred to craving favorable circumstances—wanting something so badly that if one failed to obtain it, one’s heart would never be at peace.
This person was the Lord Wangshu Li Wei had mentioned.
Lord Wangshu’s name was Murong Lian. He had once been Gu Mang’s master. In the earliest days, it was he who chose Gu Mang as his study attendant and brought him into the cultivation academy.
At the time, Murong Lian never expected this little slave to possess astonishing talent. Within just a few years, Gu Mang’s cultivation had far surpassed his own.
Thus jealousy was born.
He constantly made things difficult for Gu Mang, beating and scolding him at the slightest displeasure. Everyone knew of his cruel temperament—his name and personality couldn’t have been more mismatched.
Take one simple example.
Once, while suppressing demons in a village, Gu Mang pitied the villagers who were constantly struck by plague. So he borrowed Murong Lian’s identity to obtain medicine from the imperial apothecary.
Though improper, his intentions were kind. Any other master might have scolded him a little and let it go.
But Murong Lian was different.
When Murong Lian learned Gu Mang had dared use his name to buy medicine, he flew into a rage. First, he lashed Gu Mang seventy or eighty times. Then he ordered him to kneel on the academy walkway for twenty days.
At the time, Mo Xi wasn’t especially close to Gu Mang and didn’t interact much with him. He also didn’t normally walk that route, so he knew nothing of it.
It wasn’t until one day, during heavy rain, that he happened to pass by.
There, he saw a figure.
Walking closer, he realized it was Gu Mang.
Gu Mang was soaked through from head to toe. Black hair clung to his icy cheeks. Raindrops slid continuously down the curve of his jaw. He knelt honestly amid passing crowds, holding a wooden placard in both hands.
Written in red cinnabar were eight characters:
“A lowly slave impersonating his master—shameless beyond measure.”
Mo Xi stopped before him.
Crystal raindrops splashed against the umbrella and bounced away, while others gathered and streamed down the ribs of the umbrella.
People nearby cast curious glances, but the moment they saw the Tengshe noble crest embroidered on Mo Xi’s robes, they lowered their heads and hurried off in fear.
“…You…”
Gu Mang seemed half-conscious from kneeling in the rain so long. He hadn’t even noticed when an umbrella came to shield him, nor realized someone had stopped before him.
So when someone suddenly spoke from so close, he startled awake from his haze and abruptly looked up—
Into Mo Xi’s vision crashed a bewildered, rain-soaked face.
There was bruising at the corner of his lips, whip marks along his cheek. He trembled from the cold, like an abandoned dog fallen into mud.
Only those black eyes remained bright, washed clean by rain as they looked up at him.
That miserable appearance, together with the placard reading “A lowly slave impersonating his master—shameless beyond measure,” made him look absurdly pitiful.
Though Mo Xi and Gu Mang were not especially close then, he knew Gu Mang had impersonated Murong Lian only because he couldn’t bear to watch an entire village suffer from plague.
So he went to Murong Lian’s residence to ask for leniency.
Murong Lian refused.
Instead, he argued with Mo Xi. In the end, he ordered Gu Mang brought before them and asked in front of Mo Xi:
“Gu Mang, do you know why this lofty and untouchable Young Master Mo came to my door today?”
Rainwater dripped down Gu Mang’s face as he shook his head blankly.
Murong Lian crooked a finger, beckoning him closer.
As Gu Mang approached, Murong Lian’s pale fingers stroked his soaked cheek. Then he lifted his peach-blossom eyes and smiled.
“He came for you.”
Gu Mang froze.
He glanced at Mo Xi’s dark expression, then back at Murong Lian. Finally, wiping rain from his face, he grinned. “Young Master is joking?”
Murong Lian smiled. “What do you think?”
“……”
“You’re getting more capable by the day. If Young Master Mo hadn’t come through the rain to plead for you, I wouldn’t even know when you managed to cozy up to another noble young master.”
Mo Xi gritted his teeth. “Murong Lian. I’m only speaking a word of fairness. Watch your filthy mouth.”
Gu Mang stared blankly at Mo Xi. Something like gratitude flickered in his sea-clear eyes.
But then, while Murong Lian wasn’t paying attention, he subtly shook his head at Mo Xi.
Murong Lian shot Mo Xi a sidelong glance and snorted as if in provocation. Then he turned back to Gu Mang with a pleasant smile.
“Kneel.”
Gu Mang obeyed, lowering himself piece by piece before Murong Lian and bowing his head.
“Take off your upper clothes.”
“Murong Lian!!”
“This is my residence. No matter how noble Young Master Mo is, it’s inappropriate for him to lecture me in my own home, wouldn’t you say?” Murong Lian looked at Gu Mang again. “Take them off.”
Gu Mang obeyed once more.
He removed his outer robes, revealing a strong, well-proportioned body. Lowering his gaze, he said nothing.
Murong Lian slowly examined him—from the taut, sharp lines of muscle to the honey-toned skin glowing under candlelight.
Murong Lian himself was frail and thin. The way he looked at Gu Mang resembled a delicate young noble admiring fine animal fur—almost as if he wanted to tear off all of Gu Mang’s flesh and skin and wrap it around himself to become strong.
At that moment, servants brought Murong Lian hot ginger tea.
Taking a sip, he sighed. “Gu Mang, having a spirit core feels good, doesn’t it? Stirring up the cultivation academy feels great, doesn’t it? Getting to know nobles like Young Master Mo must make you very happy, hm?”
“I truly don’t know who gave you the nerve to claim you were ‘Young Master Murong’ just to obtain medicine for some worthless commoners.”
His thin fingers set down the tea cup.
Then he abruptly raised his eyes.
“Have you forgotten what your birth is?!”
Gu Mang lowered his head further. “I would never forget.”
“Your divine weapon, your clothes, your spirit core, everything you have today—all of it was bestowed by my Murong family. Without Wangshu Manor, you are nothing!”
“Young Master speaks rightly.”
Murong Lian fell silent.
After a while, he suddenly sneered.
“But since you’re so capable, naturally I won’t treat you unfairly. Otherwise your wings might grow too strong and someone else might lure you away.”
He coldly ordered the attendants, “Go. Bring the gift I prepared long ago for our young—mas—ter.”
He dragged out every syllable in mockery, ridiculing Gu Mang’s audacity in pretending to be a Murong heir.
At that time, the other attendants of the Murong household were present as well.
Among them was Lu Zhanxing, Gu Mang’s closest friend.
The moment he heard Murong Lian mention that “gift,” his face turned ugly. He glared at Murong Lian.
Murong Lian lifted a hand, ordering the attendants to open the box before everyone.
Faces changed.
Several people even gasped aloud.
“It’s the Slave Collar!”
Even Gu Mang suddenly looked up, eyes wide, staring blankly at the sandalwood tray held above him.
Mo Xi’s expression also changed.
The Slave Collar was used for the most disobedient and hated slaves.
It was fastened around the neck to restrain and punish servants. Once worn, it could never be removed without the master’s permission.
Its function was essentially no different from a dog collar.
If being born a slave was already a profound humiliation, then being forced into a Slave Collar was humiliation upon humiliation.
Even other slaves would look down on them.
“Put it on yourself.” Murong Lian waved a hand lazily. “Or do you expect me to help you, ‘Young Master Murong’?”