That night, Xiao Rong wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep, there was also Agusheja, who stayed up until her eyes were dark with fatigue and her mind buzzing.

She had never seen Danran so excited in her life. It was already the middle of the night, but Danran still didn’t sleep. Full of energy, she rolled around on the bed, talking non-stop, repeating “Yunmie, Yunmie, Yunmie, so fun, so fun, so fun…”

 

….

 

Danran had always slept beside her since childhood. Danran’s mother, too heartbroken to nurse, had no milk after giving birth. Many people tried to help her, whether by stimulating lactation or by finding other women who had recently given birth to provide milk. Eventually, Danran was raised well. However, that woman ignored the advice of others. After laying in her bed for an entire day, she came to Agusheja, holding the tiredly crying Danran. She forcibly handed the swaddled baby to Agusheja and said that this child would now be an orphan of the Butewu tribe. From then on, whether it was naming, raising, living, or showing filial piety, none of it would have anything to do with her, and she would never again refer to herself as this child’s mother.

The harsh words spoken back then never came to fruition because Agusheja would never allow Danran to be separated from her mother. Ah Yan however, was very ill. Forcing Danran to return to her mother might not be good for either of them, so Agusheja decided to keep Danran and raise her purely as a Butewu tribe member, as Ah Yan had intended.

The Butewu tribe didn’t have family names, only given names, so Danran was simply Danran, not Qu Danran.

Raised by her, Danran was naturally very close to her and would tell her everything, but talking nonstop like this was a first. Agusheja worried that Danran was too excited and was afraid she might be sick.

She worried too much. Once the clock passed midnight, Danran’s excitement gradually faded. She lay on the pillow, continuing to talk about the day’s events, no longer rolling around. After another quarter of an hour, Danran’s voice suddenly stopped. Agusheja turned her head and saw that she had fallen asleep in that position.

Agusheja: “…”

It seemed it was time for Danran to learn how to sleep on her own.

As Danran’s guardian, Agusheja knew exactly what Danran was going to do that day. She also knew about the so-called “script.” The man named Xiao Rong, a person from the Central Plains, liked to do these little tricks, fooling unsuspecting common people, as if this could remove the barriers between the Butewu tribe and the Central Plains people. It was as if this could make the Central Plains people accept Qu Yunmie and stop fearing him.

Whether it worked… Agusheja didn’t know. She didn’t go out much, and when she did, she would only sit down to diagnose patients at the Rejuvenation Hall, and left as soon as she was done, never staying a second longer. The younger members of the tribe weren’t as rigid as she was. They would chat with the people coming for treatment, learn needlework from the Central Plains people, and even figured out when it was cheapest to buy vegetables.

Thirty years.

She had been down the mountain for exactly thirty years. When she was on the mountain, she was a young girl with the best memories and boundless energy. Back then, she was like Danran now, happy every day. The tribe’s affairs were handled by the older members, and she didn’t know what crises they were facing.

So, when her older sister decided to go down the mountain, she vaguely and somewhat opposed it. Once they had actually descended, she grew up gradually and discovered the many dangers in the world below. She began to long for the days on the mountain. People easily forget, and the pain and tragedies buried beneath the snow were barely remembered. All she could recall were the bodies at Yanmen Pass, exposed without the snow’s cover. That image was so vivid, so piercing.

She wasn’t the only one; she could tell many others also missed their time on the mountain. At least, then, they only had to face natural disasters. Once they were on the plains, the constant deception and internal strife made them anxious every day. The Butewu tribe couldn’t understand why people would raise weapons against each other, why even their own kin would fight to the death. If life on the plains was like this, if they all had to die at the hands of others, she would rather return to Buxian Mountain, to Yannu Lake. At least, dying in the heavy snow would leave them clean.

 

…

 

These thoughts can be said to be very negative, but who could blame her? She was the leader of the Buttewu tribe. She watched her people shrink from several thousand to just about eight hundred. She wasn’t like her sister, who was strong and decisive. Her real skill lay only in medicine, but medicine couldn’t save those on the brink of death.

She would also feel lost and doubt whether what she was doing was right or wrong, but she couldn’t let others see it. So, little by little, she became this rigid and dull figure, neither laughing nor crying, as if nothing, no matter what happened, could change her emotional state.

Then again, thirty years had passed, and she was now someone who had one foot in the grave. When she was in her twenties, she used to look at the moon in the sky, feeling sorrow and fatigue over the endless tragedy. Now, in her forties, she rarely paid attention to her own feelings. Her gaze was on the children and the younger members of the tribe. She didn’t want them to follow the same path she had—endlessly struggling, silent, and numb, day after day. No one should live like that.

That was what she hoped, but she didn’t know how to make it a reality.

How long had this hope been buried in her heart? She couldn’t count. There was a saying in the Central Plains: “Children and grandchildren have their own blessings.” She felt she was nearly at this point. This saying seemed very open-minded, but when it came to her, it was full of helplessness. Since she couldn’t achieve it, she had no choice but to accept it.

Just as she had accepted it, as she had given up and stopped hoping, she actually saw joy and laughter on the faces of her people. She saw them raise their arms and run into the dense forest, playing and fooling around under the guidance of the local Chenliu people. She saw the women of the tribe, who usually never smiled, picking up baskets and proudly showing off the new skills they had learned.

They seemed to have been accepted.

Something that had been impossible for thirty years, a person named Xiao Rong had done with just a little trickery. He didn’t even spend much money, yet he had opened the hearts of these people from the Central Plains to the Buttewu tribe. Not only were the people of the Central Plains shocked, but even the Buttewu tribe was shocked. Was this how friendly the people of the Central Plains were? They were kind-hearted. They had only given a bit of leather, but the locals wanted to repay them with their own cloth. It was completely different from the treatment they had received before, when they had been pelted with mud.

At first, she agreed to Xiao Rong’s request because this person was highly valued by Qu Yunmie, and she didn’t want to reject him. Who would have thought a casual decision back then would lead to such a good outcome?

Her people were one reason, and then there was the relationship between Danran and Qu Yunmie. She feared that Qu Yunmie had reached a certain point where even if she forced Danran and Qu Yunmie to sit together for a meal, they would never become even a little closer. Agusheja had no idea how Xiao Rong managed to do it. He seemed to have some kind of sorcery.

At her most desperate, she had once knelt on the ground and kissed the earth, clumsily mimicking her sister’s former way of praying, asking the Goddess of Salt, whom the Butewu tribe believed in, to respond and help her, so her people and family would no longer suffer. It wasn’t until now that she realized she didn’t need the Goddess of Salt. She only needed a Xiao Rong.

Danran was sound asleep, and Agusheja shifted her body, but she still didn’t feel sleepy.

In this quiet night, her thoughts grew more scattered. She thought, ‘Xiao Rong had only briefly mentioned the Butewu tribe, and yet the tribe had received such great benefits.’ Nearly everyone was incredibly grateful to him. Then, if Xiao Rong had spent so much time at the royal mansion and put most of his energy into Qu Yunmie, how would Qu Yunmie feel?

She couldn’t help but think back to two days ago.

At that time, Qu Yunmie had come to visit at night. He sat in front of her and asked her a question. “Is it possible for someone to continuously suffer from illness, both great and small, yet still live a long life, overcoming all dangers?”

Agusheja thought the question was strange, but she answered truthfully. “There is nothing unusual in this world. Such people should exist, but they are rare. More people fall to illness.”

Qu Yunmie didn’t seem surprised by her answer, but then he asked another question. “Old woman, if I wanted to make someone into that rare person, how would I do it?”

Agusheja was taken aback for a moment, then answered without hesitation. “You can’t do it. Every person has their own fate. Even if the Goddess of Salt descends, she cannot save a person who is destined to die. Do everything you can, and leave the rest to fate. Overthinking and forcing things only adds to worries.”

Qu Yunmie said, “He probably thinks the same.”

That was why he was indifferent to his own suffering. Even when he coughed up blood, he didn’t even give himself a second glance.

He was so ruthless to himself, yet so attentive to Qu Yunmie. He watched over him as he slept, made him medicinal meals, and watched him change his bandages. It seemed that in his eyes, Qu Yunmie was far more important than he was.

Qu Yunmie couldn’t understand how anyone could treat a stranger as more important than their own life. He was also angry. The way that person ignored him and treated him dismissively had made Qu Yunmie furious.

However, he didn’t say these things aloud, because even though that person cared about him, he never listened to him. He always did things his way, focusing only on what he thought was important. Clearly, his own body wasn’t part of that list.

Qu Yunmie came to Agusheja, wanting to know how to solve this situation. If it required medicinal herbs, he would go buy them. If it needed a doctor, he would hire one. If he needed some rare treasure or a life-saving elixir, he would fight for it, even if it meant stealing it.

Halfway through Qu Yunmie’s questions, Agusheja already had an idea of who he was talking about. Since she rarely saw Xiao Rong, she had no idea how bad his health was. Based on her last interaction with him, she even thought Xiao Rong seemed to be in good health.

Who would have thought, after she said this, Qu Yunmie immediately became angry, saying Xiao Rong had coughed up blood twice. How could she say there was nothing wrong with him?!

Agusheja: “…”

In the end, they couldn’t come up with any useful results. Agusheja said there was no such thing as a magical medicine. Even the Goddess of Salt’s ginseng was only slightly better than regular ginseng. It didn’t work miracles.

Regardless, Qu Yunmie’s stubbornness took over. He retorted, saying, “You just said there’s nothing strange in the world. Surely there must be a medicine that can treat Xiao Rong’s illness. I just haven’t found it yet. The rare treasures of the world are probably all in the palaces of various countries. I’ll search one by one, and I’ll eventually find what I’m looking for.”

Agusheja didn’t even want to respond to Qu Yunmie’s grand talk. How many countries were there in the world? How many palaces? Even if he worked his whole life, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish that.

Qu Yunmie left, and Agusheja didn’t think about the matter any longer. She thought that Qu Yunmie, being an adult, should know what was possible and what wasn’t.

Now, she wasn’t so sure.

She understood well that Xiao Rong treated the Butewu tribe so kindly only because of his relationship with Qu Yunmie. They were benefiting from Qu Yunmie’s light. If he was this good to Qu Yunmie’s people, how good must he be to Qu Yunmie himself?

Whether stubborn, arrogant, or proud, these were traits Qu Yunmie always had. Cruelty and a love for killing were things he developed later. The turning point came after his older brother died. It was as if, overnight, Qu Yunmie learned the role of killing. The more people he lost, the more he needed to vent his anger. When others took his loved ones, he would take theirs in return.

To Agusheja, Qu Yunmie was an orphan, someone with an inherent flaw. He would never learn to peacefully accept the loss of others.

Lying in bed, Agusheja continued to let her thoughts wander, imagining what would happen if Xiao Rong died of illness. Given Qu Yunmie’s current state, what would he do?

“…”

With a sudden motion, she sat up in bed.

Danran was sound asleep, but suddenly there was a sound of rummaging through boxes. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and saw the figure of the old woman crouching on the floor, seemingly searching for something.

Danran sleepily asked, “Granny, what are you looking for? Is someone ill?”

Agusheja calmly replied, “No, I can’t sleep. I just wanted to look at the medical books that Yunmie sent over.”

Seeing Danran still looking confused, Agusheja reassured her. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be quieter.”

Danran obediently lay back down, and Agusheja buried her head back into the old chest.

 

…

Where did she put it? She had previously dismissed the book because it was filled with Central Plains characters and didn’t want to look at it, but now, she had no choice but to read it.

She had to cure Xiao Rong’s illness. This wasn’t for Qu Yunmie, nor for Xiao Rong, but for the unfortunate world!

 

……

The next day, after barely sleeping the night before, Xiao Rong woke up feeling lethargic. When he was eating breakfast, his head almost dropped into the hot pot.

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Xiao Rong had always arranged the medicinal food, but that morning, after waiting for half the day in his room without seeing Xiao Rong come, Qu Yunmie knew that Xiao Rong must have slept in. So, he decided to get up and fetch the medicine himself.

Quick as lightning, Qu Yunmie grabbed Xiao Rong’s hairpin, saving his smooth and delicate face, but his hair didn’t escape.

Xiao Rong let out a cry of agony, quickly trying to save his hair. He was gasping for air from the force Qu Yunmie applied. Well, at least he wasn’t sleepy anymore.

“Your Majesty! Is this personal vengeance?” Xiao Rong cried.

Qu Yunmie felt a little guilty but refused to admit he had used too much force. He turned the tables and grumbled, “Complaining over such a small thing.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

His chest heaved with anger, and Qu Yunmie avoided his gaze, pretending he didn’t see him.

Faced with Qu Yunmie’s shamelessness, Xiao Rong couldn’t continue to make a scene. Finally, he huffed loudly, expressing his displeasure, and then continued to drink his porridge.

Opposite him, Xiao Yi: “…”

Sometimes, he wanted to maintain his respect for the Northern King, but it was just too hard.

 

…

 

As for whether Qu Yunmie was seeking personal revenge, it was hard to say. Xiao Rong however, was definitely seeking personal revenge.

He brought all the official documents he needed to handle and dumped them in front of Qu Yunmie. With this pile, Qu Yunmie would be busy the whole day.

Qu Yunmie stared blankly at the documents. Even when Xiao Rong and the others weren’t around, he didn’t have to deal with this much official business.

Seeing his shocked expression, Xiao Rong felt a little pleased. He smiled faintly and said to Qu Yunmie, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Xiao Rong takes his leave.”

Qu Yunmie, still counting how many volumes there were in the pile, reflexively called out, “Where are you going?”

You’ve dumped all the official work on me, where exactly are you going? Don’t tell me you’re off to have fun by yourself.

Xiao Rong turned his head, flashing a charming smile. “Don’t you remember, Your Majesty, I brought some people back from Jinling? To get them, I spent a fortune. I’ve been busy these days and haven’t been able to see them. I’ve gone to all that trouble to buy them, how could I neglect them? You can continue your work, I’ll be back after seeing them.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

 

…

 

As for those foreign mercenaries, they were having a terrible time.

They thought they had just taken a simple task to protect an official, but that night, everything turned upside down. In the following days, they faced life-threatening situations, desperate escapes, and somehow ended up in the Northern Army, a place infamous for killing foreigners. Finally, they were placed under house arrest.

It was a disaster.

Some of them thought about escaping, especially when Qu Yunmie had been injured. Everyone was focused on Qu Yunmie, and no one paid attention to them. That was the perfect time to flee. However, as soon as one of them prepared to escape with his horse and goods, a young officer squinted his eyes, bent down to pick up a weapon from a dead body, and threw it at him. The would-be escapee didn’t even have time to scream before he died.

Although mercenaries were usually indifferent to life and death, that didn’t mean they were seeking death.

After that, no one dared to escape. They silently followed Qu Yunmie. They remembered that the one who had hired them was Xiao Rong, the civil official. They thought maybe things weren’t as desperate as they seemed. At least Xiao Rong wouldn’t easily kill them.

Soon, they realized how naïve they had been. Although it was Xiao Rong who hired them, his mind was completely occupied with taking care of Qu Yunmie. He didn’t have the time to manage them, so he directly handed them over to Yu Shaocheng, the young officer who had killed their comrade.

Mercenaries: “…”

They had wandered the world for many years, but karma had finally caught up with them.

In the past few days, Xiao Rong hadn’t asked about their whereabouts. When he finally found Yu Shaocheng, the latter took him to their residence. It was a vacant civilian house near the army camp, with a livestock pen next door.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Pinching his nose, he walked in. When the mercenaries saw him, though they weren’t crying, hope gleamed in their eyes, as if Xiao Rong was no longer their employer, but their savior.

He glanced at Yu Shaocheng, who looked just as innocent.

Forget it, no need to dig deeper.

Xiao Rong couldn’t stand the smell in here. He took the mercenaries outside. Nearby was the North Town Army’s camp, and after glancing at it, he said to the mercenaries, “I hired you all because I sensed the rising tension in Jinling. It seems you haven’t made any significant contributions in protecting me.”

The mercenaries: Well, with the Northern King around, who could steal the spotlight?

Xiao Rong’s tone shifted. “But you didn’t desert, and you protected the baggage and goods I entrusted to you. That’s enough to prove you’re trustworthy, don’t you think?”

The mercenaries exchanged glances.

They had been in the Central Plains for a long time and understood the local language well. “Good men” didn’t seem like a positive term, did it? Usually, the phrase “good men” was followed by a request for mercy.

Yet Xiao Rong didn’t seem to be mocking them. The mercenaries looked at each other, and one of them stepped forward to reply.

He nodded at Xiao Rong. “Thank you for the praise, Sir Xiao.”

Xiao Rong sized him up.

He had hired mercenaries from various tribes, with no more than five people from each. It was hard to get them to unite, but in just a few days, this man had earned the trust of the others, which showed some skill.

He asked, “What’s your name? Which tribe are you from?”

The man replied, “My name is Di Fazeng, and I’m from the Rouran tribe.”

Xiao Rong suddenly coughed several times, almost coughing up his lungs.

Yu Shaocheng hurriedly patted his back, feeling puzzled. He had never heard of Xiao Rong having a cough. He had been fine just a moment ago. How could he suddenly start coughing? It was always his brother who never caused anyone to worry about his health.

 

…

Xiao Rong waved his hand, signaling Yu Shaocheng to stop patting him. Once he recovered, he calmly looked at Di Fazeng. “Oh, you’re Rouran? What’s your name again?”

There was no need to ask everyone’s name, but Xiao Rong was feeling uneasy. He didn’t want anyone to see through his emotions, so he used this question to cover it up.

— Di Fazeng, the founder of the Rouran Empire, the first to turn the Rouran Khanate into an empire. He became the Khan at 32, proclaimed himself Emperor at 35, and began expanding to the northwest at 36, destroying the Gaoche, Qi Gu, Wusun, and Dayuan tribes. At its peak, the Rouran Empire even controlled parts of Eastern Europe. The territory remained under Rouran control for 120 years, until it was finally destroyed by other nomadic tribes.

Xiao Rong listened with a smile as Di Fazeng introduced himself, but inside, his heart bled.

This wasn’t someone they could handle. This was a big boss among big bosses! Zhang Biezhi, for such a simple task, you’ve caused me trouble!! Just wait, tonight I’ll clean up the mess for Jian Qiao.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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