However, Officer Mo was still far too naive.
If he had known even a little about writing fiction, he would have understood that an outline was only an outline. It never spelled out every twist and turn in detail.
It was true that Gu Mang would become a prisoner of Chonghua, but it wouldn’t be because he lost a battle to Mo Xi. By this point, an extremely important secret letter had already been sent from Chonghua’s imperial capital. Because of that letter, the war had effectively ended before it even began.
—The Turtle Army would never get the chance to challenge their former commander, Marshal Gu, on the battlefield again. Mo Xi, too, would never get to press a blade against Gu Mang’s neck with his own hands and ask him whether he regretted the way he had fallen.
“Rain falls upon the new jade pool. The little pavilion gleams beneath the clear sky. Let no songs of love and wine be silenced. Even heartless insects and ants have feelings, if you look closely.”
That night, outside the frontier, a clear, high-pitched voice pierced the wind and sand from the military encampment. The languid, lilting singing of an opera drifted through the frost like the wandering voice of a ghost.
Mo Xi frowned inwardly. The army is supposed to maintain strict discipline. Why is there an opera performer here?
Gu Mang’s notification voice explained, 【The deputy commander, Yue Chenqing, was bored with life in the military camp, so he specifically invited this opera troupe from a nearby town to entertain him.】
Mo Xi found the whole thing utterly absurd. “Am I not going to do anything about it?”
【You do. But you’re not here right now.】
“…”
Just then, the Tear of Li Jun issued another instruction.
【Please proceed to Yue Chenqing’s tent and wait for Marshal Mo to appear.】
“The setting book says I’m not here.”
【You’ll be back shortly.】
“…”
According to the novel, the Northern Frontier Army had been stationed at the border for quite some time, yet the Liao Kingdom’s garrison in the distance had shown no signs of responding. Many soldiers were growing increasingly anxious, wondering whether Gu Mang was secretly plotting some kind of scheme. Otherwise, why had everything remained so unnervingly peaceful for so long?
Yet Yue Chenqing, the deputy commander, was remarkably carefree. If there was no fighting, then so be it. Why frighten themselves for nothing? Perhaps Gu Mang was dead. Perhaps he had fallen into a pit. Perhaps the ruler of the Liao Kingdom had taken a dislike to him and had simply chopped his head off.
Everyone could only respond to such wildly optimistic speculation with silent resignation.
Yue Chenqing paid no attention to what anyone else thought. Taking advantage of Mo Xi’s absence, he lounged in the main tent, drinking wine and listening to the opera. When the performance reached a particularly stirring part, he clapped his hands and laughed.
“Excellent! Who would’ve thought that an opera troupe hastily assembled from a village near the Northern Pass could have such wonderful voices? Give us another number!”
If the Tear of Li Jun hadn’t specifically identified Yue Chenqing’s tent as the trigger point for the next plot event, Mo Xi wouldn’t have gone anywhere near the place.
He approached the tent with a cold expression. Inside, an ethereal singing voice rose toward the clouds, the opera’s melody stretching out like a thin, ghostly thread.
“The nation arose from shadow. Wind and flowers bloomed at the corners of the eyes. The ancient scriptures of the mystic covenant still have unfinished chapters. Tell me, when will the eastern wind awaken from its dreams?”
“…”
Mo Xi stood outside the tent for a moment, then entered with a dark expression.
Naturally, no one noticed his presence.
Inside, sleeves of flowing silk fluttered, faces glowed beneath layers of rouge, and the air was filled with the mingled scents of perfume and powder. Amid the dancers and singers, Yue Chenqing sat with one leg crossed over the other, happily eating the candied fruit and preserved sweets on the table.
“Oh, my dear Young Master Yue, Deputy Commander Yue! Please, you must tell them to stop singing!”
Suddenly, the tent flap was lifted, and a personal guard hurried inside, passing straight through Mo Xi’s transparent body without noticing him.
“You’re violating military discipline!”
Yue Chenqing absentmindedly brushed the stray hairs from his forehead and drawled, “Life is short, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can. Military discipline may control everyone else, but surely it can’t control a great general like me?”
The guard’s lips moved slightly, but he said nothing. Inwardly, however, he thought, You’re the deputy. Let’s see whether the actual commander can control you.
Perhaps his expression had been too revealing, because Yue Chenqing glanced at him and immediately understood.
“Lord Xihe isn’t even here. What are you so nervous about? Besides, he spends every day looking as if he’s in a foul mood. He neither seeks pleasure nor enjoys himself. He’s a grown man, yet even hearing a bawdy joke makes him angry. If I have to go out of my way to make him happy, how exhausting would that be?”
Mo Xi: “…”
He decided to fire this deputy commander.
But almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the cold notification voice of the Tear of Li Jun sounded inside his head.
【Warning: Dismissing Yue Chenqing would violate Mo Xi’s established intentions.】
“Keeping someone like him at my side is what violates my intentions.”
【Dismissing Yue Chenqing would reduce your character fidelity score by 20 percentage points. If you proceed, you will face a severe punishment.】
Team Leader Mo nearly sneered aloud. “You dare give me a score now?”
【Yes. Your initial character fidelity score is 70%. A deduction of 20 percentage points would put you below the passing threshold. At that point, you would suffer a serious illness and wish you were dead. Please consider your decision carefully.】
A punishment involving a serious illness and wishing he were dead might frighten someone else, but it wouldn’t scare Team Leader Mo. After so many years of facing storms and dangers and enduring every kind of hardship in the police force, he had nearly been shot straight through the heart by a former brother-in-arms. What suffering hadn’t he already endured?
Still, in all seriousness, Mo Xi couldn’t understand why the original version of himself had allowed such an unruly little hooligan to remain at his side.
Just listen to the way Yue Chenqing spoke.
“Lord Xihe insists on abstaining from pleasure himself, so he has to make the entire army as miserable and boring as he is. Chonghua has so many military units, but which one is as pathetic as ours? We don’t even have women around, let alone a female dog!”
Young Master Yue let out a long sigh and continued in the same old-fashioned, complaining tone.
“I say he’s got too much of a need for control. He’s controlling, anxious, obsessive about cleanliness, and a complete perfectionist—all rolled into one man. And he has absolutely no sense of fun. What a waste of that handsome face!”
The personal guard looked as though disaster was about to strike. “Young Master Yue, please stop talking…”
Instead of stopping, Yue Chenqing became even more enthusiastic.
“Here’s what we’ll do. While he’s away, I’ll loosen the reins a little. Tonight, the brothers can flirt with any young women they like. We’ll abolish curfew and hold a beauty pageant around the campfire! I’ll personally award a medal to the prettiest girl in the neighboring village—”
“And who exactly are you planning to award a medal to?”
At last, just as the little hooligan’s words were becoming more and more outrageous, a deep, stern male voice interrupted his rambling.
The tent flap swept open, and a tall man in silver armor that gleamed like frost strode inside.
Gu Mang’s notification voice began, 【This person is…】
“You don’t need to introduce him,” Mo Xi interrupted, feeling almost a headache coming on. “I can recognize myself.”
At last, he had seen the Lord Xihe of the novel.
He had to admit that watching a fictional version of himself was an extraordinarily strange experience. It was even a little embarrassing.
According to Gu Mang’s description, when Lord Xihe first appeared in The Forbidden Book, he wore a perfectly fitted military uniform that emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His long legs, encased in black leather military boots, were particularly well defined.
The singers in the tent, unaware of who he was, smiled and approached him in their red and green silks, intending to flirt with him. But before their flowing sleeves could brush his face, the man raised his eyes.
His features were strikingly handsome yet hard and severe, and his gaze was cold and sharp as a blade. The singers were pierced by that frost-edged stare and jumped in fright. The music stopped abruptly, and they all dropped to their knees, trembling.
“This humble woman pays her respects to the military lord.”
“…”
Watching this scene unfold, Mo Xi was utterly speechless.
Does Gu Mang have some kind of misunderstanding about my profession?
Although he had a cold temperament, whenever he dealt with ordinary members of the public, hadn’t he always treated them courteously?
Things had improved somewhat after he joined the criminal investigation team. But during his senior year of college, when he had interned at a local police station, he had spent his days running around the neighborhood, dealing with all kinds of petty troubles.
One moment, Auntie Wang had lost her money. The next, Uncle Xue had gone missing. Then little Ye’s dog had bitten someone, or Miss Rong’s husband had been abusing her.
The whole day would be one chaotic mess after another. Then, just as he was about to clock out, a call would come in about a young woman threatening to take her own life on the cross-sea bridge. He would hit the siren and rush over, trying to persuade her to think about her parents and friends, to reconsider, and to turn back before it was too late.
Once he finally managed to rescue her, the young woman would throw her arms around Officer Mo and burst into tears, sobbing so hard that her nose ran.
“Waaah! Officer, my boyfriend is such a piece of trash! If only he were more like you! Waaah!”
After they returned to the station, the woman would insist that Officer Mo stay and talk with her some more.
The station chief, feeling sorry for him, would offer, “Sweetheart, how about Uncle keeps you company for a while instead?”
But the woman would refuse. The moment she heard someone else might take over, she would roll her eyes and start sobbing and choking as if she were about to suffocate.
What was Mo Xi supposed to do? Could he really put on a stern face and say, “I’m off duty. Goodbye”?
Of course not. All he could do was make her a cup of hot tea, speak gently, and patiently talk her through things.
Often, after an entire day of running around, all he had managed to eat was a hastily prepared packet of instant noodles at lunchtime, accompanied by a few sips of water.
That was why everyone at the station used to say that if you wanted to see Officer Mo’s handsome face soften into a pleasant expression, you had to catch him while he was responding to a call. At those times, he was serious and focused without ever losing his gentleness. He could have filmed a public service announcement in a single take.
So what on earth was Gu Mang playing at?
“‘This humble woman pays her respects to the military lord’”? If anything, the military lord ought to be bowing to these ladies and calling them Your Ladyships!
In response to Mo Xi’s doubts, Gu Mang’s notification voice offered a calm explanation.
【This is a fictional setting. Mo Xi comes from a noble family, so he should…】
“I know how he’s supposed to behave,” Mo Xi said sourly. “But couldn’t you have given me a less aristocratic background?”
For once, the setting book refused him with righteous conviction.
【No.】
Well, if he couldn’t change it, he couldn’t change it. He would just have to get used to it.
Mo Xi continued watching.
Inside the tent, Yue Chenqing had been dumbfounded to see his commander return. Once he recovered, he shuddered and forced out an awkward laugh.
“Lord Xihe! Weren’t you inspecting Beichen Pass? You’re done already?”
Marshal Mo didn’t answer. He merely said coldly, “Why are there women in my camp?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the singers and performers, who were now too frightened to make a sound. Then he turned his gaze on Yue Chenqing.
“Did you bring them here?”
Yue Chenqing had originally intended to mutter a few more complaints, but the moment he met Mo Xi’s gaze, he immediately lost his nerve.
“…Don’t be like that. I was only listening to some music. They were performing famous songs from the Lichun Kingdom.”
Lord Xihe’s expression was stern and severe. Irritated, he said, “Indecent music. Have them escorted out. You leave too.”
Yue Chenqing slumped backward in the commander’s seat, looking utterly miserable.
“You’re absolutely heartless! I’m going to tell my father that you’ve been treating me terribly!”
Lord Xihe gave him a look.
“Get out.”
Yue Chenqing: “…”
After Yue Chenqing finally left, looking thoroughly aggrieved, Lord Xihe sat down alone in the tent. He removed his black dragon-hide gloves and pressed his long, pale fingers against the area beside his brows before slowly closing his eyes.
In the candlelight, his complexion looked rather poor, an unhealthy, weary pallor tinged with blue-white. Combined with the habitual ruthlessness weighing down his eyes, it made him appear even more haggard.
He seemed to be burdened by something very serious.
【He really is burdened by something very serious.】
“Is it because he’s about to go to war with Gu Mang?”
【No. If it were the prospect of war, he would be far more energetic than he is now.】
“…That’s true.”
Looking at the fictional version of himself sitting before the desk, Mo Xi felt an ominous premonition slowly rising in his heart.
“Then what is it?”
This time, the familiar voice of the setting book did not answer. The system fell silent for a moment before suddenly switching to a cold, mechanical voice.
It was the Tear of Li Jun.
【Attention. Attention.】
“Hmm?”
【The Forbidden Book has detected a strong overlap between your current emotional state and Lord Xihe’s. Soul fusion may be possible.】
“!”
Even Mo Xi, normally so composed, couldn’t help showing a flicker of alarm.
Did that mean the man before him was experiencing emotions remarkably similar to his own at this very moment?
The Tear of Li Jun continued.
【Please wait for the second assessment! Please wait for the second assessment!】
Mo Xi stared at the man sitting with his head lowered and his eyes closed before the desk. His profile was shrouded in darkness, making him appear so weary and exhausted. The exhaustion seemed to come from somewhere deep inside him, carrying a profound sense of helplessness.
The Tear of Li Jun announced:
【Second assessment complete. Your emotional state does indeed overlap significantly with Lord Xihe’s. An empathy trial will now begin to assess compatibility for fusion!】
Mo Xi’s eyes widened slightly.
“Now?”
【Yes. An opportunity like this must not be missed, for it may never come again. Your current state is highly suitable. Please prepare yourself and await fusion.】