Xiao Rong joked about having eyes on the back of his head, but that was just a casual remark. After all, this phrase had already become a common saying in later times. What he didn’t know was that, at this moment, there was no such saying. Only coastal fishermen knew about the flatfish, and the soldiers of the Northern Army were all from inland areas. They hadn’t even seen large lakes, let alone the sea.

 

…

 

After some time had passed, everyone had lived together on the relocation route for over a month. The rumors, initially circulating in small circles, quickly spread throughout the entire army. Even Song Shuo had heard about Xiao Rong’s deeds, let alone the soldiers closer to him.

Rumors, by nature, tended to exaggerate, and the closer one was to the truth, the less they actually knew. The less familiar people were with Xiao Rong, the more fantastical the stories became. So, this absurd comment, the guard not only believed it but it also filled in the logic in his mind.

Since Mr. Xiao said he had eyes on the back of his head, it must be true. After all, how else could he know that he had secretly gone out to deliver a letter? As for why the guard couldn’t see the eyes on his head, that was a trivial matter—ordinary people couldn’t notice the oddities of extraordinary individuals! If they could, they’d be extraordinary too, wouldn’t they?

Oh, and he’d heard there’s something called the “Dharma Eye” in Buddhist scriptures—an eye that isn’t quite an eye. That’s probably what Xiao Rong’s other pair of eyes is, right?

Wait, but didn’t Gao Xunzhi say that Xiao Rong was a disciple of Daojun, sent by Daojun to assist the King? How did this get tangled with Buddhism? Moreover, he hadn’t visited a Daoist temple yet, though he’d happily joked with Buddhist monks and even planned to visit the famous Gaoshan Temple in Jinling before leaving.

 

…

 

Xiao Rong had no idea that his one sentence had led the guard to these many thoughts. He took the letter, and since the weather was clear with the moonlight lighting up the courtyard, he opened it right there.

As he expected, it contained all the events of the day, big and small, including what he had done, who he met, whether anyone had bad intentions toward him, and the surrounding movements, etc.

Being watched should be an infuriating thing, but as Xiao Rong read the letter, he felt quite calm.

Perhaps it was because he had already prepared himself for it. From the time he crossed the Han River, he had felt something was off. He always thought that Qu Yunmie shouldn’t have let him go so easily. Qu Yunmie had a special wariness toward Jinling, likely due to his past experiences. The actual danger in Jinling was only six out of ten, but in Qu Yunmie’s mind, it was amplified to sixty out of ten.

Xiao Rong thought he was the type of person who couldn’t stand seeing his subordinates in such dangerous situations.

The guard, after his wild speculations, remembered Xiao Rong’s temper. He had seen how Xiao Rong treated Zhang Biezhi these past few days, and now, realizing that the King hadn’t trusted him as he promised, he wondered if Xiao Rong would fly into a rage

The guard in the courtyard was nervous, and the few others peeking from under the windows were nervous as well. As the atmosphere grew more tense, Xiao Rong suddenly smiled, then raised his other hand and flicked the edge of the letter.

He told the guard, “Wait here.”

After speaking, he returned to his room, closed the door, lit a candle, and did something that the guard couldn’t see. A moment later, Xiao Rong came back out, holding a new letter. This time, it wasn’t the letter the guard had written.

He handed the new letter to the guard and smiled. “Tell the King that this is a letter without words. He must decipher it to see what I’ve written. This is his punishment for not trusting me. However, if he manages to crack it before I return, I will give him a gift—a big one~”

The guard: “…”

Xiao Rong handed the letter to the guard, then cheerfully went back to bed. The guard stood there dumbfounded, like a robot, his hands clutching the letter. After a long while, he swallowed hard.

No matter how many eyes or heads Xiao Rong had, that one sentence had stunned the guard more than anything

—Punishment.

The King was so brave, and he was always the one punishing others. When has it ever been someone else’s turn to punish him? What was even scarier was that Xiao Rong had said it so casually, as though he didn’t even realize how impressive his words were.

That wasn’t the scariest part. The scariest part was that the guard didn’t think Xiao Rong was just boasting. Since parting ways at Anding City, the King’s changes had become more and more evident. These brothers, who had spent years on the frontlines, rarely entered the city, only following the King into battle. They were the most sensitive to these changes.

At first, they didn’t understand why they had been sent to protect Xiao Rong, but now they did.

After a long silence, the guard didn’t follow Xiao Rong’s instructions to send the letter immediately. Instead, he silently turned around and went back to the barracks where the other guards were staying.

When he pushed open the door, his comrades immediately surrounded him.

The guard holding the letter said, “Since it’s Mr. Xiao’s letter without words, I should personally deliver it, just to avoid any mistakes.”

Comrade 1 said, “What if the Jinling people discover it?”

The guard replied, “If they find it, they find it. They won’t do anything unless we do. The North Yangzhou docks are our military base. With Mr. Xiao’s important status, what’s wrong with us sending a few reports about his safety?”

Comrade 1 replied, “Right, since it’s a letter without words, others can’t see anything. If you’re stopped and searched, just show them the letter.”

Comrade 3 immediately slapped Comrade 1 on the back of the head. “Are you stupid? In the middle of the night, you’re sending a blank piece of paper. Even an idiot can tell there’s something wrong with that!”

Comrade 4 said, “I want to see this letter without words.”

The guard: “…”

To be honest, when they used to charge into battle together, he never thought there was anything wrong with his comrades. However, since taking this task, he increasingly realized why the King had made him the head of the guards.

 

….

 

At dawn, he set off, riding out of the city as the gates opened. The city guards didn’t even spare him a second glance.

However, his arrival caused quite a scare at the temporary camp where Qu Yunmie was. For a moment, Yu Shaocheng imagined several tragic scenarios, like their entire unit being wiped out, with only this man escaping.

Qu Yunmie thought something had gone wrong, his face grim as he walked over, only to receive another shocking piece of news.

On the third day, Xiao Rong discovered his spy plans.

Qu Yunmie, listening to the report of Xiao Rong’s reaction, gave him a strange look when he heard the guard quietly but firmly mention Xiao Rong’s two pairs of eyes.

Xiao Rong generally wouldn’t attribute such mystical traits to himself. He feared that he had once again said something strange, and the person misunderstood it, causing things to turn into the current situation.

Even so, he couldn’t be bothered to correct it. He was mentally exhausted. Being discovered meant there would be no more letters coming. How would he get through the next few days?

Qu Yunmie stared at the person in front of him, causing the guard to feel a chill run down his back. He quickly sped up his speech and took out the letter without words. He dared not repeat Xiao Rong’s mention of a punishment, only emphasizing once again that if it was deciphered, Mr. Xiao would give the King a gift—a big one.

When the guard said the word “gift,” Qu Yunmie blinked.

He took the letter, glanced at the words “For the King” on the envelope, and couldn’t resist looking at it again.

As expected of his advisor, even the handwriting was distinctive—look at this large character, that stroke was definitely intentionally written slanted.

 

…

 

He opened the envelope and shook out the blank letter inside. Indeed, there was nothing on it, just a plain piece of paper.

Qu Yunmie turned it over several times, then held it properly again and stared at it for a moment. He then folded it back up and said, “Got it. You can leave now.”

After speaking, he energetically returned to his tent, looking as though he was about to engage in a battle with this piece of paper.

Outside, the guard stood frozen, staring at the tent flap that had been lowered. He subconsciously looked over at Yu Shaocheng, who was also looking at him.

“Three letters in three days. The King has been worried lately. No matter what letter he receives, he explodes in anger. Mr. Xiao really has a way with him, doesn’t he?” Yu Shaocheng said, grinning.

He shook his head and added, “Ah, truly, Mr. Xiao is someone my older brother speaks so highly of. How about it? My brother really does have good judgment, doesn’t he?”

The guard: “…”

He awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, which was as much of a response as he could manage.

 

…

 

He made a quick round trip, and by the time he returned to the villa, it was only a little past the hour. Xiao Rong was still sitting inside, not having gone anywhere else. When he heard the guard return, he nodded slowly and said, “Thank you. That paper should keep him busy for a while.”

The guard: “…”

Zhang Biezhi clearly knew what had happened the night before. He was sitting beside Xiao Rong, laughing loudly. “You didn’t give him a blank sheet of paper and trick him into thinking it was an unsolved secret letter, did you?”

Xiao Rong raised the weight on the table as if to strike Zhang Biezhi’s hand. Luckily, before the weight could fall, Zhang Biezhi shrank back in fear. “What are you doing?!”

Xiao Rong’s hand was still pressing on the weight. He snapped, “‘He’? That’s the King! If I hear you speak out of turn again, I’ll break your hand so you’ll remember to respect your betters!”

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

He shouted in grievance, “But you said the same thing!”

Xiao Rong sneered. “Do you compare to me? Only those with skill have the right to be arrogant. If you’re arrogant without skill, it’s just a useless dog barking. One day, someone will kick you into a stinky ditch!”

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

He wanted to argue, but it seemed that no matter what, one shouldn’t be arrogant in front of the King. Xiao Rong spoke so authoritatively that Zhang Biezhi momentarily forgot to refute him. When he finally remembered, a eunuch arrived, saying that Empress Sun had invited Xiao Rong to the palace.

Xiao Rong paused for a moment, then immediately stood up and followed. He signaled for the two guards who had been with him yesterday to accompany him, while leaving the others behind at the villa.

The lively atmosphere from moments ago immediately fell silent once Xiao Rong left. Zhang Biezhi, and the guards exchanged awkward glances, all feeling a little uncomfortable.

They weren’t familiar with each other.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Biezhi couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke. “Hey.”

Both guards looked at him.

Zhang Biezhi hesitated, but his desire to speak finally won out. “Don’t you think Xiao Rong is unreasonable? Everyone praised him back in Chenliu, especially my brother-in-law, who almost worships him like a celestial being, but he’s really fierce! I’m even a little afraid of him now.”

The guards: “…”

Hmm, they agreed.

Regardless, they weren’t stupid, and couldn’t say so outright. So, they stayed silent for a moment, then one of them stood up, saying he was going to sleep.

He left, and Zhang Biezhi naturally turned to the only other person left in the room. Ah Tree wore a complicated expression.

After the lord’s advice, Ah Tree had felt guilty for an entire night, thinking he had been too much. However, today, Zhang Biezhi kindly helped him review why he had been so excessive. It had nothing to do with him, it was just that Zhang Biezhi deserved it.

How foolish had he been to repeatedly say bad things about the lord in front of himself? Though today’s remarks were better than before, at least today there was some reasoning behind them, unlike before when there had been no basis.

No, he should just stay away from Zhang Biezhi. This must be what the Lord meant when he said stupidity was a sickness, staying with foolish people would eventually infect you.

With that thought, Ah Tree quickly stood up with a more extreme action than the previous guard, and left without saying a word.

Zhang Biezhi stared blankly at the empty room, unable to understand why they had reacted like this.

Wasn’t I right?

Hadn’t I spoken the truth???!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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