Since Mo Xi had said so, Gu Mang did his best not to dwell on the details from the eve of the rebellion.
Some things really were like this. Aside from the momentary satisfaction of uncovering the truth, all that remained was endless melancholy. He wanted to live peacefully for a few days, so it was better to listen.
After the spring hunt, Mo Xi became increasingly busy. Official documents weighed him down, his days and nights became reversed, and his appetite grew worse and worse.
Seeing that he was neglecting both food and sleep, Steward Li had no choice but to order the kitchen to prepare the dishes, pack them into food boxes, and send them to his desk. But even so, Mo Xi would often forget to eat, or by the time he finally raised his head from the documents, the golden crow had already sunk and his food had gone cold.
Li Wei could not help sighing. “Every year when it gets to this time, it’s always like this. You can’t persuade him, and you can’t talk any sense into him. He drinks cold tea and eats cold meals all day long. Even an iron stomach couldn’t take it. What a sin.”
As it turned out, Steward Li really was a jinx. The very next day after he finished complaining, Mo Xi fell ill from an irregular diet and being far too busy.
Don’t be fooled by Mo Xi’s ruthless and iron-blooded manner. Only the servants of Xihe Manor knew how difficult this man could be once he fell ill. He was neither delicate, nor troublesome to others, nor fond of making a big deal out of his illness, but he had a fatal flaw that surpassed all three—
He was picky.
His daily routine remained unchanged. He still attended court and still handled official documents as usual. But because he was unwell, his temper became even harder to deal with than usual, and he became even more particular about everything.
After Mo Xi’s stomach ailment flared up, Li Wei went to Physician Jiang’s residence to get medicine. Physician Jiang immediately launched into a furious tirade.
“Sick again? Stomach trouble again? He’s been coming to me for stomach problems since he was fourteen or fifteen! I painstakingly cured him, and he’s delighted to go right back to neglecting three meals a day whenever the military affairs get busy, eating cold food every meal. If he keeps this up, he might as well ascend to immortality directly! If he doesn’t mind suffering, I mind him ruining my reputation! Get out!!!”
Li Wei could only nod repeatedly, sweating profusely, and finally managed to obtain some medicinal patches amid the physician’s scolding. The physician then ordered him sternly, “Keep a close eye on your lord. Make sure he eats his food while it’s hot, and give him a bowl of soup before every meal. If he refuses to listen, don’t come to the Jiang Residence for treatment anymore. Damn embarrassing!”
Thus, Li Wei began having the kitchen stew soup for Mo Xi every day to nourish his stomach.
And this was when Mo Xi’s pickiness became apparent—
On the first day, the kitchen made radish and pork rib soup. Mo Xi refused to drink it. “Too greasy.”
On the second day, the kitchen switched to pigeon soup. Mo Xi refused to drink it. “It has a strange smell.”
On the third day, the kitchen made pork liver and spinach soup. Mo Xi refused to drink it. “I feel sick just looking at the organs.”
……
By the seventh day.
Li Wei walked out of Xihe Jun’s study with a clay pot of matsutake and straw mushroom chicken soup in his hands, his head hanging dejectedly. The chef who had come with him asked nervously, “How did it go?”
“He didn’t touch a drop. He was too focused on looking at the sand table.” Li Wei rolled his eyes. “He said the smell of stewed chicken made him feel uncomfortable and killed his appetite.”
The chef was sweating, his pale face full of grievance. “But this isn’t my fault either. If the lord keeps going like this, his appetite will only get worse. Didn’t Physician Jiang say that for his stomach, three parts depend on medicine and seven parts on proper nourishment?”
Li Wei sighed. “Sigh, exactly.”
Mo Xi’s appetite had indeed been deteriorating these past few days, but he did not particularly care. To him, even if the steamed bun was as hard as a stone, as long as he could still eat it, cold or hot made no difference. Once this period of intense work was over, he could recuperate afterward.
While Li Wei and the chef stood beneath the corridor sighing, Gu Mang happened to pass through the courtyard with the black dog Fandou, sleeves gathered up. Seeing the two of them looking so worried, he kindly came over and asked, “What’s wrong with you two?”
The chef rolled his eyes at him. “Have you finished chopping the firewood? If you haven’t, go back and chop it. Don’t stick your nose into other people’s business.”
Gu Mang said, “I finished.”
The chef was about to say something else when Li Wei suddenly remembered that Gu Mang’s cooking skills seemed rather good. The previous few times he had cooked, Mo Xi had offered no praise whatsoever verbally, but he had eaten every dish clean.
Since things had come to this, they might as well treat a dead horse as though it were still alive. So Li Wei gave Gu Mang a general explanation of Mo Xi’s condition.
“Ah…” After listening, Gu Mang glanced toward the study. “No wonder even his face has gotten thinner lately.”
Then he lowered his head and said to the big black dog, “Fandou, he’s almost less fat than you.”
Fandou barked twice, seemingly quite dissatisfied with this comparison.
Li Wei sighed. “Sigh, we’ve tried every kind of persuasion, and we’ve made every delicacy under the sun. Unfortunately, the lord simply has no appetite and no desire to eat.” As he reached the end, he looked at Gu Mang. “How about you give it a try?”
“This guy?” The chef interrupted, his face full of disdain. “What can this guy possibly make?”
But Gu Mang nodded. “He can’t keep starving like this. Then let me give it a try.”
Gu Mang planned to make fish and needed the fattest, freshest fish available. Li Wei told him that there was a Peach Blossom Lake in the eastern suburbs. Not only was it rich in spiritual energy and suitable for cultivation, but the fish nourished there were also exceptionally tender and plump.
Thus, that afternoon, Gu Mang took a fish basket, carried a net, and brought the black dog with him to the outskirts of the city to catch fish.
Peach Blossom Lake was not difficult to find. When Gu Mang arrived, he discovered that the place was secluded and tranquil. Because spiritual veins flowed endlessly beneath it, peach blossoms drifted throughout the entire year, dyeing heaven and earth in shades of rosy clouds. Although Peach Blossom Lake was not large, rocks were scattered throughout the center of the lake, creating many hidden spots. Pavilions and covered waterside corridors had also been built around the lake. Whenever the wind blew, fallen petals brushed across the steps.
Gu Mang said, “It’s a nice place. No wonder Li Wei said it’s suitable for bathing.”
As he spoke, he turned and asked Fandou, “Fandou, do you want to take a bath?”
Fandou excitedly wagged his tail and dashed toward the lake like an arrow released from a bow.
It was still late spring, not yet summer, but the weather was already very hot beneath the brilliant sun. Originally, Gu Mang had been wearing a hooded cloak so that no one would see what he looked like. But after looking around and seeing no one by the lake, he decided that wearing the cloak into the water would only make catching fish inconvenient. Thus, he removed his shoes, socks, and cloak, rolled up his trouser legs, and waded into the clear, cool lake water.
“Woof!!” Fandou barked excitedly, rolling around at Gu Mang’s feet in the shallows and splashing water everywhere.
Gu Mang raised a finger to his lips and warned him, “Be good. We’re catching fish for the poor Princess Mo Xi to eat.”
Fandou barked again and ran even more enthusiastically, driving all the fish in the shallows into deeper water.
Gu Mang: “……”
“Woof woof woof!!!”
“If you keep causing trouble, believe it or not, I’ll stew you into dog-meat soup.”
Sure enough, kindness did not work. Just like the Gu Mang in his memories, he had to resort to force. Fandou obediently quieted down with a whimper, tail tucked between his legs as he nervously climbed onto shore. He then vigorously shook the water droplets from his body, sat on the lakeshore, stuck out his tongue, and basked in the sunlight, his little green-bean eyes darting back and forth as he watched Gu Mang.
Gu Mang had recovered quite a bit of his martial skill during this period. Although his spiritual power could no longer return to its peak, his movement techniques were already far better than when he had first arrived. Before long, he had caught three fat and sturdy grass carp.
However, although the grass carp were large, their flesh was not the best for cooking. After thinking for a moment, Gu Mang raised his net and went around several jagged, towering rocks in the middle of the lake, searching elsewhere in Peach Blossom Lake.
Sometimes his mind worked very well, while at other times it became rather sluggish. For instance, right now, his brain was being particularly foolish. He waded through the water while calling out,
“Fish, come here, fish.”
The fish from far away heard the noise and all fled.
Gu Mang pushed aside the green vines hanging down from the rocky cliff and had just turned a corner when he called, “Fish, come here—”
“Who?!”
Suddenly, a voice like shattered Kunshan jade rang out. Its tone was magnetic and pleasant, yet filled with fierce menace.
Gu Mang jumped in fright. Instinctively, he looked toward the direction of the voice, only to see a flash of golden light. A spell exploded on the surface of the water only a few inches in front of his knees, violently sending up a huge wave and curtain of water. Through the blurred water, a white figure gracefully swept into a cave behind the curtain of water.
Jade-like droplets flew everywhere, and the water curtain surged violently. It took quite some time before the column of water raised by the spell finally subsided.
Gu Mang coughed repeatedly, only to hear the person say coldly and ominously, “Look up.”
Gu Mang hastily wiped his face a few more times before squinting and looking up.
Judging from the memories he had recovered, generally speaking, anyone bathing deep among peach blossoms and becoming furious upon being secretly watched was usually an exceptionally beautiful woman. Gu Mang happened to have a strong instinct to cherish beautiful women, so he hurriedly said, “Sorry, Miss, I didn’t mean to. I came here to catch—”
Before he could finish saying “fish,” a streak of water suddenly flew through the air and, without another word, smacked him hard across the face.
Caught completely off guard, Gu Mang was directly knocked into the water by the astonishing force of that “beauty.” He swallowed several mouthfuls of lake water before staggering back to his feet.
The beauty’s voice was cold enough to freeze to the bone. “Open your damn eyes and see clearly who I am.”
Gu Mang thought to himself: I’d like to look, but men and women should keep their distance. I’d better not look.
Then he thought: No, that’s not right. You invited me to look. If I don’t, it’ll make me look guilty.
Finally, he thought: Huh? This voice…
It sounds a little familiar???
He supported himself against the slippery rock wall and, like Fandou, shook his drenched head. Then he opened his pale-blue eyes and looked toward the large bluestone inside the cave behind the water curtain.
Gu Mang: “…………”
The beauty was indeed beautiful, but unfortunately, he was a man.
……And a man Gu Mang had seen before.
It was Murong Chuyi……
Murong Chuyi had the same peculiar habit as Mo Xi. When bathing, he did not like taking all his clothes off either. Both of them liked to wear a bathrobe into the water. By now, Murong Chuyi had draped a white robe over his wet, chilly bathrobe. Beneath his dark, sword-like brows, his phoenix eyes were slightly lowered, and his gaze was colder than the waters of Peach Blossom Lake.
“……” Gu Mang was silent for a while before cupping his fists. “Sorry, big brother. I disturbed you.”
Murong Chuyi said coldly, “Stop.”
“…Does big brother have any further instructions?”
Murong Chuyi raised a hand and pointed at his own clothing. A cluster of flame appeared at his slender, pale fingertip. Under its glow, his wet clothes were quickly dried. Murong Chuyi sat down on a piece of bluestone inside the cave, raised his eyes, glanced at Gu Mang, and said, “Come here.”
“Since we’re both men, looking a little won’t hurt.” Gu Mang trembled slightly. “If you don’t like it, then how about… how about…”
He racked his brain for a long while before tentatively suggesting, “Then how about I take mine off and let you look too?”
Murong Chuyi’s phoenix eyes widened. “Who wants to look at you? Come here.”
Gu Mang had no choice but to go over. He did not have Murong Chuyi’s excellent lightness skills, so he had to climb onto the somewhat high and slippery platform using both his hands and feet. He slipped down two or three times along the way before finally scrambling up in a thoroughly disheveled state. Murong Chuyi never once reached out to help him.
Once he reached the stone platform and walked over to Murong Chuyi, Gu Mang only realized how pale his face was at such close range. Even his lips were almost completely devoid of color.
Gu Mang could not help being startled.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Murong Chuyi closed his eyes briefly and said, “Go to the Jiang Residence.”
Gu Mang was completely baffled. “Why am I going to the Jiang Residence?”
“Ask Jiang Fuli for a stalk of ‘Heart-Calming Grass.’ Bring it back to me.”
The man had not even added a “please” or “would you,” so Gu Mang momentarily assumed it was simply his responsibility. He gave an “oh” and turned to leave, only realizing several steps later that something was wrong. He turned back.
“Wait, why am I the one doing this?”
Murong Chuyi said, “Because you happened to pass by.”
What he said sounded just like those eccentric old Daoist priests in storybooks who would grab some wandering young hero and say, “Young friend, you and I are fated. Come back to the mountain and cultivate with me,” before dragging the person away without caring about anything else.
Gu Mang was unhappy. “I don’t owe you anything. You just hit me, too. Why should I help you?”
A glimmer of light moved across Murong Chuyi’s fingertip. His expression turned fierce, as though he were about to unleash another merciless technique. He glared coldly at Gu Mang.
“Are you going or not?”
Gu Mang shook his head. “A true man cannot be corrupted by wealth, cannot be bent by force—ah, what’s wrong with you?”
Before he could finish, the light at Murong Chuyi’s fingertip went out. He lowered his head and covered his mouth with his sleeve, actually coughing up fine flecks of blood.
Gu Mang was startled. “You’re sick?”
Murong Chuyi still tried to maintain his forceful demeanor, but before he could speak, he suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of black blood. In a hoarse voice, he said, “I… I am cultivating here…”
He paused and caught his breath. A stubborn light flashed in his eyes.
“You absolutely must not… must not tell the Yue Residence…”
“Not tell the Yue Residence?”
Even though Murong Chuyi was already this weak, his expression and bearing remained sharp and fierce. He gritted his teeth.
“Absolutely not. You cannot tell them.”
“……”
“You must promise me.”
Gu Mang was probably intimidated by the man’s aura, because he instinctively nodded.
After receiving Gu Mang’s promise, Murong Chuyi was like a bowstring stretched to its absolute limit. The moment his heart was finally reassured, all his strength seemed to dissipate. He closed his eyes and collapsed onto the cold, damp bluestone beside the water, actually fainting.
“……” Gu Mang stared blankly at him for a long while. Then he bent down and poked Murong Chuyi’s cheek. His pale, thin face was as cold as jade, looking both frightening and pitiful beyond words.
Gu Mang swallowed nervously.
“I’ll go find medicine for you. Just… just don’t faint on me out of nowhere, brother.”