When Mo Xi arrived at the main hall, Gu Mang was already there.
“This morning I spoke to him for a while,” Li Wei said. “He still ignored me most of the time, but at least he didn’t run away anymore. Looks like he’s getting used to the place. Starting tomorrow, I’ll begin assigning him some work.”
Mo Xi’s tall, austere figure stood silently at the entrance of the hall for a moment. There wasn’t the slightest trace of pleasure on his face.
After a while, he asked coldly,
“Why is this person sitting in my seat?”
The huanghuali dining table in the main hall was where Mo Xi always ate.
Although two seats were set there every day, one of them had always remained empty. No one had ever sat in it.
Once, a thoughtless servant had tried to remove the unused chair, only to incur Lord Heyi’s intense displeasure.
The servants had two theories about it.
First, the seat had been reserved for Princess Mengze.
Second, their lord simply had obsessive tendencies and liked perfect symmetry.
As for which answer was correct…
Even Li Wei didn’t know.
The other seat of honor, however, had always belonged to Mo Xi.
Yet at this very moment, Gu Mang was sitting there as though it were perfectly natural.
He even turned around and calmly glanced at Mo Xi.
Mo Xi’s face grew icy.
“Get up.”
“…”
Li Wei coughed lightly and hurried over.
“Quickly, get up. His Lordship’s angry.”
Gu Mang frowned slightly.
He didn’t really understand what His Lordship meant.
At Luomei Villa there had only been customers and managers.
He looked at Mo Xi for a while, assuming His Lordship must be Mo Xi’s name.
“So your name is His Lordship?”
Seeing him so innocent and utterly clueless only made the fire in Mo Xi’s chest burn hotter.
He said nothing.
Walking over, he looked down coldly at Gu Mang from above.
“I told you to get up.”
Gu Mang didn’t move.
So Mo Xi simply reached out to haul him up himself.
Before his hand even touched Gu Mang’s collar…
Gu Mang had already sprung off the chair with astonishing speed and retreated to the side, watching him warily.
Although Mo Xi loathed Gu Mang, he would never deliberately bully him.
By nature, he was an upright and honorable man.
Unless driven to the absolute limit, he couldn’t bring himself to commit truly twisted acts.
Nor would he ever stoop to doing something like Murong Lian—sending someone to a pleasure house.
Still…
He had woken up in a foul mood.
Naturally, his expression toward Gu Mang was even colder than usual.
Seeing this, Li Wei feared another argument would break out between them, so he hurriedly scolded Gu Mang first.
“Look at you! This huge estate has countless places to sit, yet you just had to sit in Lord Heyi’s seat! Who do you think you are? From now on, learn the rules properly from me! You’re hopeless!”
Mo Xi frowned impatiently.
“Take him away.”
“Yes.”
But Gu Mang refused.
“I want to stay here.”
As he spoke, he reached toward the chair opposite Mo Xi, intending to sit there instead.
Mo Xi’s gaze shifted slightly.
It was as though something hidden deep inside him had suddenly been struck.
He exploded,
“That… that’s not a seat you can sit in either! …Why do you insist on staying here?”
Gu Mang pointed at the table.
“Food.”
“…”
“I’ve watched.”
“Food appears here every day.”
“Someone brings it to you.”
“It smells good.”
He met Mo Xi’s icy gaze openly.
“I’ll wait.”
Mo Xi’s face darkened.
“You’re waiting here for food?”
Gu Mang nodded.
Mo Xi stared at him for a long moment.
Then he sneered.
“Gu Mang… who do you think you are?”
With that, he turned away and sat down.
While adjusting the silver hidden-weapon case strapped around his sleeve, he said without even looking up,
“Li Wei. Make him leave.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Li Wei hesitated.
“…What about his meal?”
“Aren’t there still a pile of corn cobs in his cellar?”
“Tell him to go back and chew on those.”
Before Li Wei could respond, Gu Mang spoke.
“Gone.”
Mo Xi looked up.
“What?”
“I ate them.”
Mo Xi stared.
“You also carried in two baskets of steamed buns, four or five strings of sausages, and seven flatbreads.”
“Ate those too.”
“…”
“I don’t know the people in the kitchen.”
“There are too many of them.”
“I won’t go in.”
He spoke slowly, one phrase at a time.
His clear blue eyes remained calm.
“This is the only place I can come.”
“…Why can you come here?”
“Because I know you.”
“You gave me water.”
After a pause, he continued,
“You also taught me what it’s like to wish I were dead.”
“You also hired—”
Bang!
A wine cup flew across the room and shattered against the wall, cutting off the words hired me for sex.
A dangerous light flickered in Mo Xi’s eyes.
“Shut up.”
Gu Mang obediently fell silent.
Li Wei stood awkwardly beside them, looking from one to the other.
For the first time ever…
Even he had no idea how to smooth things over.
Mo Xi folded his arms.
His expression remained cold as he stared at Gu Mang.
After a while, he lifted his chin slightly.
“Do you remember anything else?”
Gu Mang tilted his head and thought.
Finally…
He shook it.
Mo Xi lowered his lashes.
A cold laugh escaped him.
Then he raised his eyes again.
“Then get out.”
Gu Mang didn’t move.
He quietly looked at Mo Xi’s face.
He wasn’t begging.
Nor was he asking permission.
His voice carried no emotion whatsoever.
He was merely stating a fact.
Standing directly before Mo Xi, meeting his eyes with almost rude straightforwardness, he stubbornly declared,
“I’m hungry.”
The two of them stared each other down.
It was as though they were silently competing over something no one else could see.
Finally, Mo Xi spoke first.
“…Fine.”
“But you stayed at Luomei Villa for two years.”
“You should know perfectly well that pies don’t fall from the sky.”
“If you want to eat…”
“You have to do something first.”
He leaned forward slightly.
His sharp gaze swept across Gu Mang’s pale face like a blade.
Like a sword prying open an oyster shell to reach the tender flesh hidden inside.
His voice became low and slow.
“Senior Brother Gu.”
“I’ll give you one chance to recommend yourself.”
“Tell me.”
“What can you do for me?”
“…”
Dark eyes stared into blue ones.
Hatred flickered beneath the surface of the black pair.
“What do you want to do for me?”
“What can you do for me?”
“If your answer satisfies me…”
“I’ll grant your request.”
“Say it yourself.”
Gu Mang looked silently at him.
A moment later…
He suddenly held out one hand.
Mo Xi’s eyes shifted.
“What does that mean?”
“You can hit me.”
“I won’t die anyway.”
Gu Mang’s face remained expressionless.
“But one beating buys one meal.”
“You can’t just hit me without feeding me.”
“…”
Mo Xi asked,
“Another rule from Luomei Villa?”
“Yes.”
Mo Xi straightened up.
Turning his face away, he said,
“Remember this.”
“This is Heyi Manor.”
“Not Wangshu Manor.”
“And certainly not Luomei Villa.”
“I have absolutely no interest in humiliating you.”
“Then what are you interested in?”
Something strange flickered briefly across Mo Xi’s handsome face.
It looked as though some embarrassing memory had suddenly resurfaced.
But he quickly regained his composure.
His expression became cold and arrogant once more.
“How should I know?”
“Why don’t you recommend yourself?”
Gu Mang looked puzzled.
“‘Recommend…'”
Mo Xi said impatiently,
“It means tell me yourself.”
Gu Mang thought for a while.
Then he continued listing his “uses.”
“Do you like yelling at people?”
…
Why was it either beating or scolding?
Mo Xi suddenly felt strangely insulted.
He snapped,
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
Li Wei: “…”
Gu Mang thought again.
This time he thought for a very long while.
Eventually, confusion appeared on his face.
“I don’t know anymore.”
“I don’t know what else I can do.”
His honest blue eyes looked straight at Mo Xi.
For perhaps the first time…
There was visible nervousness on that calm, handsome face.
“But…”
“I don’t want to go back to Luomei Villa.”
“…”
“I don’t want to go back.”
Seeing him like this, Mo Xi felt another surge of frustration.
Yet somehow…
He couldn’t find the words to curse him.
Just then Gu Mang recommended himself again.
“I can also sleep.”
“And eat.”
“Are you interested?”
“…”
Seeing no response, Gu Mang continued.
“I can also…”
He desperately searched for more uses.
His face gradually flushed red with effort.
But he couldn’t think of a single thing.
Once…
He had been so powerful.
So full of life.
He had been Chonghua’s greatest young general.
He had burned like blazing fire…
Always overflowing with inspiration…
Strength…
Hope…
Love…
In Mo Xi’s eyes, Commander Gu had once seemed capable of anything.
But his soul had been shattered.
His mind had been ruined.
The fire had gone out.
All that remained…
Was the scorched earth left after the flames.
“I can’t do anything else.”
At last he slowly looked up at Mo Xi.
As though accepting his fate.
“This is all I have.”
He looked like an unbearably poor child…
One who longed to buy a hot steamed bun…
But after searching every pocket could only find a single worn shell coin.
He didn’t know whether it was enough.
Still…
He bit his lip and tremblingly offered the only coin he possessed.
“Will you use me?”
After thinking for a moment, he decided adding Mo Xi’s “name” might help.
So he sincerely added,
“His Lordship?”
Mo Xi was still adjusting the hidden-weapon case around his wrist.
Hearing that…
He nearly sliced his own finger.
“…”
For a long while he couldn’t say a word.
Somewhere inside his heart…
Something felt strangely numb.
Strangely itchy.
Something wasn’t right.
He vaguely understood what that feeling was.
It was dangerous.
So he immediately looked away from Gu Mang’s face.
“Don’t call me that.”
“You knew me before.”
“My name is Mo Xi.”
After another moment’s thought, he added impatiently,
“You’d better just call me Lord Heyi.”
He fastened the weapon case shut.
After calming himself for a moment, he looked at Gu Mang again.
“Listen carefully.”
“Heyi Manor isn’t like Luomei Villa.”
“No one here will beat you or curse you.”
“But you’re a criminal.”
“You don’t get to choose.”
“If you want food…”
“You work.”
“But I don’t know how—”
“You used to.”
“If you’ve forgotten, Li Wei will teach you again.”
“Do exactly as he tells you.”
“As long as you finish your work…”
“You’ll receive food.”
“If I finish working…”
“I get food?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re not allowed to slack off.”
“Understood?”
Gu Mang nodded.
“Then go.”
Mo Xi glanced at the water clock on the side table.
“When you’ve finished today’s work…”
“Come back here for dinner.”
Li Wei quickly asked,
“My Lord, should we bring in another chair?”
“Why?”
Mo Xi glanced at him lazily.
“Isn’t there already an empty one?”
“…”
But…
Wasn’t that ownerless chair…
The one everyone believed had always been reserved for Princess Mengze?
Although Li Wei was thoroughly puzzled…
He still answered,
“Yes.”
He led Gu Mang toward the door.
Before they reached it, however, Mo Xi called him back.
“Wait.”
“Come here.”
“Does My Lord have other instructions?”
Mo Xi thoughtfully glanced at Gu Mang.
Then he turned to Li Wei.
“Go tell the kitchen.”
“I have a request for tonight’s dinner.”
He lowered his voice and quietly gave Li Wei several instructions.
Then he said calmly,
“That’s all.”
“Do exactly as I said.”
“Go.”
The first job Li Wei assigned Gu Mang was simple.
But exhausting.
“Although Lord Heyi is a cultivator,” Li Wei explained, “many of the servants here are ordinary people. They can’t simply summon fireballs with a wave of their hands. So every winter we’re always short on firewood.”
He pointed toward a mountain-like pile of logs.
“Split all of these.”
“When you’re finished…”
“You’ll earn your meal.”
Gu Mang looked at the woodpile.
Then turned to look at Li Wei.
He said nothing.
Li Wei asked,
“Did you understand?”
“If you didn’t, ask!”
“…”
Seeing that Gu Mang still remained silent, Li Wei rolled up his sleeves and demonstrated several chopping motions.
“Split.”
“Wood.”
“Split wood.”
“Understand?”
“Chop all these logs.”
Gu Mang only half understood.
But he caught the important word—
chop.
Without another word, he stepped forward, picked up the axe stuck in the ground, and asked to confirm,
“Chop these?”
“Yes.”
“These.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
“Only after chopping them all…”
“I can eat?”
“Only after chopping them all.”
The conversation ended.
Gu Mang turned around and silently began splitting wood.
There wasn’t much technique involved.
It was simply tiring…
Time-consuming…
And unbearably monotonous.
No one at Heyi Manor liked doing it.
Yet Gu Mang never complained.
His lips pressed tightly together.
Sweat dampened his long eyelashes.
With every swing of the axe, he put his entire strength into splitting another log.
It looked as though he held some deep grudge against those pieces of wood.
He was incredibly motivated.
Every time the pile became a little smaller…
He felt himself one step closer to his next meal.
By dusk…
The mountain of logs had finally become a mountain of chopped firewood.
Gu Mang tossed aside the axe.
Without even bothering to wipe the sweat from his forehead…
He walked straight back to the main hall to collect today’s “reward.”
Outside, heavy snow drifted through the bitter winter night.
Inside the main hall, however…
The candles blazed brightly.
A small huanghuali dining table had already been set with covered dishes to keep them warm.
Beside them, soup simmered over a little red clay stove, sending gentle wisps of steam into the air.
Mo Xi…
Was sitting there.
Waiting for him.