Chapter 44
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The little fortune teller sat steadily in his arms, his small face serious as he emphasized, “My fortunes are accurate, I don’t lie.”
The little beggar: “…”
Seeing how serious he was, the little beggar raised an eyebrow, still sounding skeptical, “You said yesterday I would join the army. With my status, where could I possibly enlist?”
He didn’t believe it at all.
Feeling questioned, Ling Rui sternly patted his small face and touched the little beggar, saying, “You will join the army. I can read your fortune again today.”
The little beggar: “Alright, go ahead.”
The little beggar sat down on the ground, having slept on the ground countless times before and not fearing the dirt. As for the little one in his arms, he sat on his lap, not touching the ground.
The little beggar didn’t have a proper name; he had only a derogatory one from before, which he didn’t want anyone to know.
Before coming here to sell himself, he came up with a temporary name: Sihai.
With his new name, Sihai looked down at the little boy, who was closing his eyes and telling his fortune. He hadn’t planned to sell himself to anyone. Although he was a beggar, he had survived long enough to know how not to starve to death.
Once he sold himself, his fate would be in someone else’s hands.
Sihai didn’t like this feeling.
But for some reason, he couldn’t get the image of the little boy’s pleading eyes out of his mind. The boy hadn’t verbally asked for help, but his tearful eyes were full of desperation.
Sihai lay there for a long while, but eventually, he washed himself clean and found the people who had bought the boy.
“Sihai, one day, you will become a general.”
Ling Rui leaned against Sihai and got a new vision. In his vision, Sihai was sitting on a horse, looking very impressive.
The people under his command called him “little general.”
Ling Rui was frequently foretelling Sihai’s future, not because he was curious about it. Even if he were curious, he wouldn’t come every day.
This frequent contact made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
He was enduring this discomfort now to talk to Ah Wu: “Ah Wu, where are you today? You can slow down a bit; I’m not in danger.”
Although he had to do some work, he also had a bit of free time for small activities after finishing his chores.
For instance, he could visit Sihai at this moment.
Ah Wu didn’t respond directly but asked for more details: “What are the characteristics of the places you passed by today?”
Ling Rui thought for a moment and accurately described the flowers and plants along the way, the temperature, the clothes people wore, and many other small details.
These details were things Ah Wu had instructed him to pay attention to.
Ling Rui obediently observed and remembered all of them.
In addition to asking questions, Ah Wu also comforted him: “You did very well today, little one. By the way, what work did you do today?”
“Carrying things, massaging Shali’s legs, performing for Shali to watch.”
Ling Rui told Ah Wu everything he did, and after that, he also mentioned what he had eaten: “There was a sweet tea, yellow in color, very delicious.”
“My tummy is full too.”
“Shali let me sleep on the floor, but there was a thick blanket, so it wasn’t cold.”
While talking to Ah Wu, Ling Rui had no fear at all. Initially, when he was sold, he was very scared, but now, with Ah Wu there and Sihai talking to him every day, he wasn’t afraid anymore.
Little Ling Rui, who was emotionally stable, ended his conversation with Ah Wu satisfactorily after a while.
After talking to Ah Wu, he continued discussing with Sihai about how he could become a general in the future.
Sihai, hearing the term “general,” increasingly felt that this little fortune-teller was unreliable. “You really know how to sweet-talk. If it were someone else, they might actually believe you.”
He had some self-awareness about himself.
Looking at him lacking confidence, Ling Rui lifted his face and encouraged him, “You have to believe it. You really will become a general.”
Sihai still didn’t believe it.
He heard footsteps approaching and quickly set the child down, instructing him to stand on the ground.
“Don’t repeat what you just said to anyone else.”
Sihai deliberately lowered his voice during his voice-changing period and stood up himself. “Especially don’t say it in front of Shali.”
He felt there was something off about Shali’s identity.
He had seen Shali’s face and knew that her appearance definitely didn’t match someone from their Qi dynasty, but he didn’t know where exactly Shali was from.
There were some foreign dancers in their Qi dynasty, so it wasn’t unusual.
But from Shali’s demeanor, she wasn’t a servant-type dancer; she was accustomed to being served.
Ling Rui overheard these whispered words from Sihai, and even though he was small, he understood the seriousness.
He nodded obediently, indicating he understood.
Before long, footsteps approached, calling for Ling Rui. “Little Seven, come back.”
Ling Rui obediently ran over. “Coming!”
He returned to the large carriage where he slept and sat down beside Shali.
Regardless of whether there was something to do or not, Shali liked having him sit near her.
He was still very young and couldn’t do many tasks, but Shali didn’t mind.
Although Ling Rui wasn’t cheeky, he could tell that Shali really liked looking at his little face.
The twilight hours passed quickly, and soon darkness enveloped the world.
Ling Rui sat in the carriage, eating the snacks Shali handed him.
He ate them one after another, while Shali lazily laid down, chatting idly with him.
Shali was asking about his family.
Since their first meeting, Shali had been interested in his family.
As Ling Rui ate his snacks, he talked about his mother.
He had no memories of his biological mother, Consort Xi, who had passed away shortly after giving birth to him. So naturally, the mother he spoke of to Shali was not Consort Xi.
He spoke of Noble Consort Yi: “My mother is very beautiful.”
Not only beautiful but also very loving towards him, this little child.
“Compared to me, who do you think is more beautiful?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui froze with the snack halfway to his mouth.
In his heart, naturally, he thought his mother was the most beautiful.
But after being with Shali for these days, he also knew how much Shali loved beauty.
If he said Shali wasn’t as beautiful as his mother, she would definitely be angry.
A few seconds later, Ling Rui stuffed all the snacks into his belly. Even though his stomach was bulging, he didn’t mind.
He placed his little hand on his stomach and answered Shali’s question.
“I am my mother’s treasure. I think my mother is the most beautiful.”
After answering this question, Ling Rui looked at Shali.
The two locked eyes, and finally, it was Shali who suddenly asked him a somewhat inexplicable question.
“What color are your mother’s eyes?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui honestly replied, “They are black.”
He was referring to Noble Consort Yi’s eyes; Noble Consort Yi’s eyes were black and very beautiful.
As for Consort Xi’s eyes, he had no idea what color they were.
“Oh, black.”
It seemed like Shali instantly lost interest. “There’s nothing beautiful about black.”
Ling Rui silently thought to himself, “It’s very beautiful.”
His own eyes were black, and his mother had praised them as good-looking.
Shali closed her eyes lazily again, not knowing if she wanted to sleep or just rest with her eyes closed.
She just kept her eyes closed and said softly, “If you could have blue eyes, you would be even more handsome.”
Ling Rui didn’t say anything.
He was satisfied with his current eyes and didn’t want them to change color.
Time passed slowly like this.
After a while, Ling Rui yawned sleepily.
He didn’t have a little bed, so when he felt sleepy, he just laid down and slept.
“Are you… are you sleeping?”
Ling Rui’s small body swayed, rubbing his eyes. He didn’t dare fall asleep immediately but first asked Shali if she was asleep.
Shali didn’t reply to him. He sat patiently on the ground, waiting. Finally, he laid down with a “plop.”
That night, Ling Rui dreamed of Ah Wu, his father and mother, and his older brother.
Besides Ah Wu, he missed his mother the most.
His mother would definitely be very worried if she couldn’t find him.
Ling Rui guessed right; Noble Consort Yi, who couldn’t find him, hadn’t had a full night’s sleep until now.
The next day, before dawn, the carriage set off again.
As they traveled further, Ling Rui wrapped himself in a small cotton coat.
The temperature inside the carriage was much warmer than outside. Fortunately, Ling Rui could lean against it with his little cheek, sitting inside the carriage.
Although it was warm inside the carriage, whenever he had the chance, Ling Rui would still go outside to find Sihai.
He would share half of the things Shali gave him with Sihai.
In his eyes, Sihai was someone who could become a general.
And Sihai, who could become a young general, gave Ling Rui a sense of security.
“Keep these things for yourself, I don’t need them.”
Sihai didn’t want to always take things from him, but he couldn’t resist those bright eyes of the little one.
“Here.”
Ling Rui looked up with his innocent face and pleaded, “Please protect Ling Rui.”
In the current unfamiliar and cold weather, plus not knowing where the carriage’s destination was, Ling Rui felt insecure.
Being so young, he needed someone bigger to protect him.
Sihai glanced at the round child in his little cotton coat, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted the things Ling Rui handed over.
“You should go back to the carriage quickly, it’s warmer there.”
“Yeah, I’m going.”
As Ling Rui left, Sihai discreetly dropped something behind him.
It was a small wooden carving, which he had skillfully made. The child on the carriage loved these carvings and claimed to have many such toys.
Ling Rui’s words touched Sihai.
He carved some toys that Ling Rui had played with and discreetly dropped them along the way.
If this child’s family came looking for him and saw these wooden toys, they might follow the trail.
Two days later.
The carriage arrived at a border town where the wind blew cold and harshly, with significant temperature differences between day and night.
Ling Rui had to wear his little cotton coat both in the morning and at night, but during the day, he had to take it off to avoid overheating.
In such temperature fluctuations, Ling Rui inevitably fell ill.
Upon learning of his illness, the man who had bought him back didn’t seem keen on treating him: “Such a fragile child isn’t suitable for the grasslands. Shali, take him back, or he’ll die.”
“You’ve been watching him all this way. Aren’t you tired of him yet? If you really like his face so much, I can preserve it permanently for you.”
As the man said this to Shali, nearby Sihai overheard everything clearly.
The more he heard, the darker his expression became.
After the man finished speaking, Sihai stood still, waiting for Shali’s response.
But Shali remained silent.
Sihai’s face turned cold, he turned around, and walked away quickly.
Night fell.
Ling Rui’s constant coughing kept Shali awake.
Since Sihai was also around, Shali asked him to take the child away.
Sihai picked up the coughing child and took him a bit further away from Shali’s location, so the sound wouldn’t disturb her.
They rested in another place, under the watchful eyes of accompanying guards.
Sihai knew the consequences of escaping without authorization; he would be beaten to death. Having sold himself, no one would care if he was beaten to death.
“Cough, cough.”
The child in his arms continued coughing.
Sihai, with his back to the people, used his fingers to sketch out the route on the ground.
From childhood, he had a talent for remembering routes. As long as he had walked the path, no matter how complex, he could remember it clearly.
Even if he didn’t walk it himself, if someone described the route, he could visualize the specific paths and create a map in his mind.
During the day, while accompanying others for purchases, he overheard the locals talking about this place.
He knew where they were.
He had been brought to a border town. Beyond this town, there used to be a grassland tribe. This tribe seemed to have had marital ties with Qi dynasty, but the relationship was later severed for some reason.
The grassland tribe that had once been married gradually disappeared.
Sihai suspected that Shali on the carriage might be from this grassland tribe. He wasn’t interested in this tribe; after all, they were weaker than their Qi dynasty.
What interested him was another city about a hundred miles from this border town.
And in that other city was Murong Xue.
No one didn’t know Murong Xue, and no one didn’t admire Murong Xue.
Although Sihai had never seen Murong Xue, she was the person he admired most.
He wanted to take the child in his arms to find Murong Xue.
“Little Seven, tell me again, what will I become in the future?”
Sihai lowered his head and asked the child whose face was flushed red from coughing.
Ling Rui looked at him with wide eyes, coughed twice, and then said, “A general.”
In the future, Sihai would become a general.
“I’ll believe you this time.”
Sihai said to him, “As this future general, I’ll take you to find the real general.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui’s little face looked blank, not understanding what he meant.
Two days later, under the cover of a dark and windy night, Sihai ran forward with all his strength, carrying the child in his arms.
Sihai spent two days exploring outside and memorizing more routes, which formed a detailed map in his mind.
With this mental map, he ran without looking back.
Ling Rui knew Sihai was taking him along to escape, so he stayed quietly in Sihai’s arms, not moving at all, to help Sihai run more smoothly.
Despite all the careful preparation, Sihai was discovered after running for less than an hour.
After being discovered, he managed to evade capture for another hour with Ling Rui.
As the pursuers drew closer, Ling Rui, covering his mouth to suppress his cough, closed his eyes and, while clinging to Sihai, called out to Ah Wu in his vision.
“Ah Wu, where are you?!”
“I’m nearby.”
Shali’s route was hard to track, and although Ah Wu traveled quickly, it took him a lot of time to figure out the path.
The fact that he had managed to arrive by now meant he had been pushing himself to the limit.
Under the cover of night, a beast’s roar shattered the silence.
In Sihai’s arms, the young child heard this sound, and his unusually red face suddenly lit up as if with a newfound spirit.
“Sihai.”
The child finally spoke, saying, “Ah Wu has come to fetch me.”
Sihai had no idea who or what Ah Wu was.
He pushed the child’s head back down and continued running in the opposite direction of the beast’s roar, speeding away. Such a fierce beast’s call meant they needed to keep their distance!
“Sihai, no, there’s no need to run.”
Amidst the vast night, Ling Rui’s weak voice fragmented into pieces.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
