The canyon fell into silence.
He Fan’s body trembled at Jiang Wu’s feet.
Jiang Wu’s movements were swift, and from standing to attacking, he hadn’t revealed the slightest hint of killing intent.
Even now, he still looked harmless, forlorn, and innocuous.
His hands slid to the sides, like a ghost whispering, “Why force me to act? Bad man. I’ll dislocate your shoulder, your arm, your wrist…”
He Fan let out a blood-curdling scream, “Your Highness—!”
Zhao Cheng snapped out of his shock and moved forward, but Yin Wuzhi swiftly lifted Jiang Wu off the ground.
The Pessimist clung to He Fan’s sleeve, still muttering in a melancholy tone, “Dislocate…”
Yin Wuzhi firmly grabbed Jiang Wu’s hands, kicked off the ground, and used his qing gong skills to escape into the forest.
Behind them, Zhao Cheng’s furious voice roared, “Someone! Carry Young General He back and find a physician immediately!”
“Everyone else, chase them down!”
Zhao Cheng was seething with rage.
Jiang Wu had dismantled a young Zhao general right before his eyes. This guy was even more terrifying than before. Previously, Zhao Cheng could at least sense a shift in his demeanor when he was about to strike, but this time…
This time, he had seemed as harmless as ever, a weak, malleable figure. Yet in the blink of an eye…
He was still as weak and malleable as ever.
But when he attacked, he was ruthless and swift.
The stark contrast between his demeanor and his actions left an unsettling chill.
Zhao Cheng suddenly thought of something and yelled, “Where’s Kuyan? Didn’t he say Jiang Wu was suffering from Puppet Drowsiness Syndrome?! Bring him to me now!”
As they sped through the forest, Jiang Wu was carried like a rag doll in Yin Wuzhi’s grasp. Clearly experienced in wilderness survival, Yin Wuzhi finally stopped after half a day, lowering Jiang Wu into a large tree hollow.
Yin Wuzhi covered his mouth, holding his breath as he listened for any movement, then slowly released him, coughing lightly.
With the corner of his mouth and eye still bleeding, Yin Wuzhi’s once beautiful face now appeared somewhat pitiful. Jiang Wu laid motionless, staring at him, his mind filled with the vile words of the Zhao soldiers.
Yin Wuzhi met his gaze.
“Yin Wuzhi.”
“Hmm.”
Jiang Wu found that there were many things he wanted to say to him, but for a moment, he didn’t know where to begin.
Time passed, and the forest grew darker. Inside the narrow tree hollow, Yin Wuzhi asked quietly, “Why did you hit him?”
“He hit Yin Wuzhi.”
“I thought you didn’t care.”
Jiang Wu replied, “Angry.”
“I came this time with the Great Empress Dowager’s decree, ready to agree to Zhao Cheng’s terms of exchanging you for Empress Dowager Yao. But now that you’ve acted, Zhao Cheng might not let us off so easily.”
“Hmm.”
Yin Wuzhi remained silent for a while, then said, “Our people are searching for another way out of this ravine, but if we stay trapped here, we won’t be able to hold out for long.”
“I’m not afraid.”
Yin Wuzhi said, “Zhao Cheng naturally won’t hurt you.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Jiang Wu said, “And Zhao Cheng wouldn’t dare kill you.”
If Jiang Wu had killed today, Zhao Cheng would have demanded a life in return. But because he hadn’t killed He Fan, even if Zhao Cheng captured them, he would still spare Yin Wuzhi’s life.
“I will protect you,” Jiang Wu said.
Yin Wuzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he asked hoarsely, “Why?”
Why? Jiang Wu didn’t know either. He just felt upset when he heard those people humiliating Yin Wuzhi and wanted to teach them a lesson.
He said, “Did I ever tell you that one day, you will ascend the throne?”
This answer clearly surprised Yin Wuzhi. “What?”
“I come from many years in the future, and from history books, I know that Yin Wuzhi overthrew the tyrant Jiang Wu and became a legendary emperor. Then, I became Jiang Wu.”
Yin Wuzhi said, “So, all those times you tormented me, it was to… turn me into the legendary emperor who killed the tyrant, as the history books say?”
He laughed lightly, “Jiang Wu, you’re not a tyrant.”
“Jiang Wu isn’t a tyrant. I’ve realized that. Even the part of history that says you personally killed him is probably false. History may not be true, perhaps it was altered. No one knows the real truth,” Jiang Wu said. “But Yin Wuzhi, you becoming emperor should be real.”
Yin Wuzhi scoffed, “Are you going to use that ‘wandering soul’ nonsense to fool me again? That’s not what I’m asking. You know what I really want to hear.”
“I’m not fooling—”
“Do you love me?”
The wind rustled through the treetops. Jiang Wu hesitated and said, “Yin Wuzhi.”
“Do you love me?”
In the dim light of the tree hollow, Jiang Wu tried again, “Yin Wuzhi…”
“I’m asking you, do you love me?” Yin Wuzhi’s breathing grew ragged. “Is this question so hard to answer?”
It wasn’t hard.
But he was just a wandering soul. He didn’t understand what Yin Wuzhi saw in him. His experiences, his past, everything belonged to the original owner of this body.
“Fine, let me change the question,” Yin Wuzhi said. “That night, did you leave willingly with Zhao Cheng?”
Jiang Wu remained silent.
“Jiang Wu, do you know? I had planned everything in advance, ready to capture Zhao Cheng alive. From the start, I knew that cave was Zhao Cheng’s base. I also knew that before we left Shengguo Temple, Zhao Cheng would definitely come to rescue Empress Dowager Yao.”
That’s why, despite appearing worried about King Dingnan’s safety, Yin Wuzhi had stayed by Jiang Wu’s side.
He knew Zhao Cheng couldn’t find Empress Dowager Yao at Shengguo Temple and would likely come for Jiang Wu.
“Why did you let him take you away?” Yin Wuzhi asked. “These past two days, I’ve thought that if you wanted to die so badly, I should have just left you to fend for yourself. Zhao Cheng, who has always held a grudge against you, would not have spared you.”
“But the thought of him possibly hurting you was unbearable.”
“Jiang Wu, when will you finally have a heart? What must I do to leave a mark on it?”
“Just now,” Yin Wuzhi’s fingers pressed against Jiang Wu’s chest. “I thought I had finally secured a place in your heart. But look at what you’re offering me instead—asking me to kill you so I can become a legendary emperor. Do you believe in such a ridiculous reason yourself?”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Yin Wuzhi lifted his chin again and asked, “I’ll ask one last time: do you love me? Did you attack He Fan because you felt sorry for me?”
Before Jiang Wu could respond, Yin Wuzhi continued, “This is the last time. If your answer isn’t what I want to hear, I’ll leave you here. You can do whatever you want, live or die, I won’t care.”
Jiang Wu hesitated.
He wanted to die.
He didn’t want to live.
Although many people think living is wonderful, for Jiang Wu, those good things didn’t seem necessary.
In the darkness, he quietly used his inner strength to clearly see Yin Wuzhi’s face.
Yin Wuzhi’s eyes were red again, but this would probably be the last time he made Yin Wuzhi cry.
“I…”
“I really will leave you here,” Yin Wuzhi said, his voice trembling, as though terrified of something. “I’ll never come back for you. I’ll forget you. Even as a ghost, I won’t seek you out. Jiang Wu, think carefully—do you… love me or not?”
Maybe, Jiang Wu thought. Maybe he did love him, but not enough to make it essential. Compared to Yin Wuzhi, it seemed like he still preferred death.
Yin Wuzhi’s grip on his hand tightened, causing him pain.
“Yin Wuzhi,” Jiang Wu said. “You should leave.”
Tears rolled down.
His hand slipped from Jiang Wu’s shoulder, and without looking back, he crawled out of the hollow and left.
Jiang Wu continued to huddle inside, his expression briefly dazed before gradually relaxing.
He no longer wanted to occupy someone else’s body or enjoy affection meant for another. If it were possible, he wished the original owner would come back and truly see Yin Wuzhi.
That fool. When Jiang Wu had noticed the tiny tear-shaped mole Yin Wuzhi had secretly dotted at the corner of his eye that night, he realized that the historical Yin Wuzhi might have done the same thing before. Maybe that’s why, in this life, Yin Wuzhi bore that tear-shaped mark at the corner of his eye. Though it would appear and disappear…
Jiang Wu boldly speculated that perhaps after his death, that tear-shaped mole would reappear, symbolizing the return of the original owner.
The sound of a search party grew closer, “Check over there, see if he’s there.”
Jiang Wu had no intention of going out, nor of returning to Zhao Cheng. He planned to stay quietly in the tree hollow and wait for death.
One or two days didn’t matter, three or four days didn’t matter either. He just wanted to be alone for a while. Suddenly, the urgency of death didn’t seem as pressing to him.
The searchers didn’t find him and quickly moved on.
Jiang Wu closed his eyes and breathed softly.
He could smell the decaying roots inside the tree hollow, damp and musty.
Time quickly passed, and by midnight, a rustling sound reached his ears. Jiang Wu instinctively opened his eyes.
A man stood outside the tree hollow, holding a few fruits in his hand. He said softly, “I have nowhere else to go.”
Jiang Wu silently propped himself up and scooted back slightly.
Yin Wuzhi silently crawled inside, sitting opposite him. He took a bite of one of the fruits. Jiang Wu quietly watched him until Yin Wuzhi finished one piece.
Lowering his head, Yin Wuzhi asked, “I can’t finish this, do you want some?”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Yin Wuzhi finally looked at him and after a long pause said, “Just take a bite. I’d like to hear you tell a story.”
Jiang Wu replied, “A story?”
“You said I’d ascend the throne one day, and that you’re not really Jiang Wu, right?” Yin Wuzhi continued, “You’re going to die anyway, so sharing your secrets with me won’t matter, will it?”
“Eat first, you’ll need the energy to talk.”
Jiang Wu didn’t move.
Yin Wuzhi placed the fruit between them and said, “The ravine gets so cold at night.”
He curled up, “Do you want to freeze to death?”
Jiang Wu replied, “Either way is fine.”
“But I don’t want to die.”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Yin Wuzhi said, “I like you so much, can’t you let me use you for warmth? It’s not asking too much, is it?”
It took Jiang Wu a while to respond, “Mmm.”
Yin Wuzhi added, “Come closer.”
Jiang Wu: “.”
“Didn’t you want to die? Moving will make you lose energy faster.”
Jiang Wu forced himself to scoot a little closer.
Yin Wuzhi sighed, hooked his arm around Jiang Wu’s waist, and pulled him into his embrace. Then, right in front of him, he took another bite of the fruit.
Jiang Wu didn’t know what kind of fruit it was, but it seemed to be wild, judging by the juicy sound of the bite. Being so close, he could faintly smell its sweetness.
With one arm wrapped around Jiang Wu, Yin Wuzhi said, “Tell me—how did you become a wandering soul? And… what do you think about the original Jiang Wu? Just talk, it’ll help pass the time.”
Jiang Wu didn’t move.
Yin Wuzhi’s jaw moved as he swallowed the juicy fruit, his eyes meeting Jiang Wu’s. “Why are you staring at me?”
He propped his elbow on his knee, raised the fruit, and leaned closer to Jiang Wu’s face. “You’ve never kissed me of your own will, have you?”
“I’ve even agreed to let you die,” Yin Wuzhi said. “Just kiss me once, as a trade-off. How about it?”
