After coming out of the royal tent, Qu Yunmie stood gloomily at the entrance for a while. Then he suddenly raised his hand and threw the Snow-Drinking Vengeance Spear behind him.

Not long ago, the tragic incident of Young General Yu had just passed. No one wanted to get their head split open by the Snow-Drinking Vengeance Spear before the great battle. The two guards behind him hurriedly scrambled to catch it. With great difficulty, they both managed to grab the weapon, planted the spear shaft into the ground, and quietly wiped the sweat off their foreheads. When they looked up again, the King’s figure had disappeared.

…

Mijing sat inside his own tent. He rolled the Buddhist beads in his hand while thinking about what to do next.

In the past, he always contacted the rulers of countries in his personal capacity, but this time, he appeared as the envoy of the Northern Army. It wouldn’t take long before people learned about it. Once his identity was no longer pure, their attitudes toward him would inevitably change.

Once people realized that the gate of Emptiness wasn’t empty, and the Pure Land not pure, some of them were destined to be disappointed in him, while others would want to extract greater value from him.

It’s becoming harder and harder…

It’s also becoming more and more interesting.

Mijing closed his eyes and silently smiled.

After a long time, he suddenly felt what it meant to be free. If he had learned any principle from the Xianbei people, that principle was this: Before saving others, one had to save oneself. Before saving the world, one had to save the country. Only when he himself and his country became strong and invulnerable would they have the ability to change the fate of others.

Xiao Rong always admired his familiarity with these kings and queens, but he never knew that these weren’t delivered straight into Mijing’s hands. They were won again and again through Mijing’s own efforts. Through actively requesting audiences with these rulers. Only after they granted him a chance did they then become convinced by his personal charm. Such was the way of all things. Though good wine feared no alley, in chaotic times, what people lacked most was time (Chinese saying that implies that high-quality products or people will inevitably be discovered, regardless of their hidden location). Only by lowering oneself could one quickly accumulate layer after layer of connections and capital.

…

Since the moment he took the Great Precepts (refer to the fundamental ethical guidelines for lay followers: No Killing, No Stealing, No Sexual Misconduct, No Lying, and No Intoxicants), the string in Mijing’s mind has never relaxed, but he wasn’t a masochist. If he had the chance, he too wished to be a little more carefree—like tonight, enjoying this victory, leaving the rest of the problems to tomorrow’s self.

He closed his eyes completely, the beads in his hand rolling more and more slowly. Just when he was about to fully relax—swish!

Another uninvited guest lifted the curtain of his tent.

Mijing: “…”

Forget it. He was destined to live a life of toil.

*

Qu Yunmie himself didn’t even know why, in the moment of his greatest anger, he didn’t go to Yuan Baifu, nor did he go to Jian Qiao. Instead, he mentally went through everyone in the entire army camp, and finally realized that among so many people, the one most suitable to hear his complaints was Mijing.

…

Mijing listened with a numb expression at Qu Yunmie’s grumbling.

“I don’t know what kind of instructions ordinary people receive before going on a campaign, but I know it’s absolutely not like what Xiao Rong gives! The more I don’t want to hear something, the more he insists on saying it. If he hopes I can return victorious, why not just say so? Why must he provoke me instead!”

Mijing: “…”

He sighed inwardly, then resigned himself to answer. “Perhaps because the last time he spoke directly, it didn’t work. So this time he wanted to try a different approach.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He looked at Mijing gloomily. “Every time you speak reasonably, it makes me extremely unhappy.”

Mijing nodded. “I know. Every time, Your Majesty has that unhappiness clearly written on your face.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

After taking a breath, Qu Yunmie’s voice became less impulsive than at the start. He lowered his eyes. “I am indeed a straightforward person. Xiao Rong knows me too well, which is why he acts so fearless. He knows that even if he angers me, it doesn’t matter—I cannot do anything to him.”

Mijing hesitated. He felt Qu Yunmie’s personality couldn’t simply be described as straightforward, but he didn’t want to argue. He merely nodded again. “Your Majesty is right. Young Master Xiao has always acted wholeheartedly for your sake.”

Mijing thought Qu Yunmie had calmed himself down, but the next second, Qu Yunmie flared up again. “It’s not that simple! In the past, he acted wholeheartedly for me, but he wouldn’t have said such things to me. Some things are different than before. I just haven’t figured out which things they are.”

Mijing suddenly raised his eyes. Qu Yunmie didn’t notice his gaze at all and just continued talking to himself. “It seems to have started when he came to the army camp, but after thinking carefully, there were already traces back in Northern Yang. After returning from Jinling, Xiao Rong’s temper grew worse day by day. He no longer respected me the way he once did. He—”

Pausing, Qu Yunmie’s voice suddenly dropped, as if deep in thought. “He treated this King better, but he also became stricter with me.”

This was always Qu Yunmie’s way of speaking. Only when he lost his temper, or when he wanted to be formal, would he call himself ‘This King.’ Sooner or later, he would circle back to using ‘I.’

From his choice of self-reference, one could judge whether his words came from the heart.

From the moment he changed his self-reference, Mijing’s eyes subtly shifted. Even the hand holding the beads stilled. Without blinking, he watched Qu Yunmie, though no one could tell what outcome he was waiting for.

After a brief silence, Qu Yunmie suddenly recalled that moonlit dance in the past. A moment ago, he’d still been justified and angry. Then, all at once, his confidence faltered. In a low voice, he said, “In the end, I still let down his feelings.”

Mijing: “…”

He looked at Qu Yunmie speechlessly. Though he didn’t know what had happened between Qu Yunmie and Xiao Rong, from his observations over these past days, what Qu Yunmie meant and what Xiao Rong wanted to express were definitely not the same.

Hmm…

Or perhaps not necessarily. He had thought Xiao Rong was the one standing outside, the clearer-headed one. These days, he discovered that wasn’t entirely true. The two of them were becoming more and more alike.

Mijing suddenly felt despair. He was the only one in this camp who was supposed to be detached from the world—so why was he the one who had to bear so much?

…

Not dwelling on the past was one of Qu Yunmie’s few virtues. What was gone couldn’t be chased, so he didn’t chase it. It was enough to do well in the present and the future.

After finishing his thoughts, Qu Yunmie suddenly looked at Mijing and smiled. “Two months ago, on the eve of setting out, I spoke late into the night with the Buddha’s Son. I didn’t expect that two months later, this scene would repeat itself again.”

Mijing also smiled. “It is my greatest honor to ease the worries in Your Majesty’s heart.”

Qu Yunmie shook his head. “Easing is saying too much. It’s just that I know you are different from others. What I say in front of you, you won’t repeat to others.”

Mijing lowered his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust.”

Though you truly trust the wrong person.

…

When it was unnecessary, Mijing could take all these things with him to the grave, but if it became necessary, he wouldn’t delay even a second. He would immediately report it to whomever he thought should know.

Fortunately, tonight Qu Yunmie was rather lucky. Mijing believed very deeply that these words couldn’t be told to Xiao Rong, nor to anyone else. Some things, even if he knew about them, if he chose not to stop them, he would likewise not interfere. With Xiao Rong’s determination and Qu Yunmie’s concern for Xiao Rong as buffers, Mijing didn’t think the matter between the two would affect the course of the world. Unless they reached the point of life-and-death enmity—but let’s face it, that was impossible. Whatever changes happened in their relationship, such a situation would never occur.

From any angle, their ideals were the same. Qu Yunmie couldn’t use this to threaten Xiao Rong, and Xiao Rong wouldn’t stand against Qu Yunmie over such a trivial matter. So the issue between them affected only the two of them. Since it had nothing to do with the world, why should Mijing interfere?

As for beyond this rational thinking—did Mijing hope they would muddle along with this ambiguous attitude for a lifetime? Or did he hope they would quickly recognize their own hearts and endure this hidden pain they themselves hadn’t yet realized, until it was fully passed?

Mijing: “…”

He didn’t know. He was just a monk. Why should he ponder the problems of mortal entanglements?

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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