SWDnovel Chapter 8 Guan Zhong Recognizes His Master, and the Heavenly Generals Become Commanders
Chapter 8 Guan Zhong Recognizes His Master, and the Heavenly Generals Become Commanders
Outside, dense, dark clouds drifted in from nowhere, obscuring the starlight and moon, threatening a downpour. Old Lu, the gatekeeper, yawned, then pulled out half a roasted chicken wrapped in oiled paper from somewhere, along with a gourd of fine wine. He carefully opened the lid and smelled it. "Mmm—that's the taste!" he thought. "After a year, I've finally gotten my wish. This wine is a special product of Jibei, prioritized for the soldiers—'Bianjunlie'."
"A bite of roast chicken, a sip of wine, tomorrow I'll draw my sword, tomorrow I'll worry. Hmm, what a poem, what a poem," Old Lu muttered to himself, as if talking to thin air. However, apart from the cawing of crows flying overhead, there was no other response.
Inside the room, Guan Zhong's expression remained serious, but only he himself knew why there was expectation in his eyes and why his hands were clenched under the table.
"I have heard that you grew up in Beihai County of Qi. You had to drop out of school at the age of 7 to help your family make a living, but you still used your spare time to collect books to read. At the age of 13, you asked to see the Duke of Qi but were refused. When you were young, you traveled to Jin and were ridiculed. At the age of 17, you had to rely on Mr. Bao Shuya to support your elderly mother. Now you are 19 years old, but you have not yet made a name for yourself." Liu Xiao said slowly. With each sentence he spoke, Guan Zhong's expression dimmed a little, and the light in his eyes gradually went out.
"I've heard that there's a magical fish in the North Sea that can transform into a giant bird called the Roc. Whenever the wind blows, the Roc flaps its wings and takes flight. I've heard that its wings are as big as the clouds in the sky." Xiao Liu suddenly changed the subject and started talking about the records in Taoist classics.
"What I want to say is that Mr. Guan is like the roc that transforms from a fish into a bird. Although I am not strong enough to withstand the fierce wind, or even as strong as a gentle breeze, I will do my best to support you and help you soar over the nine provinces and cry out at the top of the nine heavens." Liu Xiao stared sincerely into Guan Zhong's eyes and said with a firm expression.
Guan Zhong suddenly stood up. The light obscured by the dark clouds, along with the impending downpour, seemed to be stored in Guan Zhong's eyes. He bowed deeply and said in a trembling voice, "Guan Zhong greets my lord. If Guan Zhong truly takes flight, I will make my lord the first gust of wind to sweep across the land."
"Please rise, sir. There's no need for such formalities." Liu Xiao hurriedly helped Guan Zhong up, only to find that this wise prime minister of all time was already in tears.
"It's getting late today. I'll definitely be visiting again tomorrow. I hope you'll be so kind as to offer your guidance then," Liu Xiao said as he took his leave.
"I have already prepared a plan for self-reliance and strengthening in a brocade pouch. I will discuss it with you in detail tomorrow," Guan Zhong said, handing over a brocade pouch.
"The roc rises with the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles high. Mr. Yi Wu, Mr. Shu Ya, you should rest early," Liu Xiao said with a grin.
Guan Zhong looked in surprise in the direction Liu Xiao was looking, and sure enough, he saw a calm figure silently emerge from the darkness.
"Bao Shuya greets my lord." Bao Shuya smiled and bowed to Liu Xiao in return.
"Good night, everyone." Liu Xiao returned the greeting to the darkness and then walked out of the courtyard.
"Uncle Ya, what's wrong?"
"Lord Guan, you've followed the trend, but don't forget the turtledoves who foraged for food with you back then!" Another voice rang out, and Guan Zhong saw Xi Peng emerge from the darkness with a smile, followed by Ning Qi and Dong Guo Ya.
"Xi Heizi, you really need to put on some powder when you go out at night. If a whole outfit floats by in the middle of the night, it's really scary." Guan Zhong blushed as he thought of his cheesy remark and then retorted.
"That won't work either. Even if Black Impermanence turns into White Impermanence, it can still scare someone to death," Ning Qi chimed in with a chuckle.
After saying that, all four of them burst into laughter.
"From which classic text do you say 'Goodnight'?" Dongguo Ya asked slowly, looking as if he were deep in thought.
The air suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Dong Guoya with eyes that said, "As expected of you."
"Why are you all so quiet? Weren't you just laughing like idiots?" Dongguo Ya asked, puzzled.
Everyone: ...
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Liu Xiao returned to his room, but there wasn't a single lamp or candle lit in the large room. Fu Xiang, who used to read classics to him for half an hour every day, seemed to be fast asleep on his bed today.
"Don't move." He had only taken a few steps when a sharp sword was placed against his neck, and at the same time a deep male voice sounded in his ear.
"Great hero, if you're just robbing me, take whatever you want. I really don't have much money left. You've probably heard that the debt collector I kicked out yesterday was the eighth one this month." Liu Xiao tensed up and frantically called out to the system in his mind, but received no response.
Damn it, it messed up at the crucial moment!
"If you're going to rob me of my virtue, I'll borrow some more tomorrow. If you like women, I'll book a whole floor of prostitutes for you; if you like men, I'll book a whole restaurant of male prostitutes for you. In other words, could you put down what you're holding? I don't mean anything by it, it's just that I have this problem: whenever someone presses against my neck, my crotch starts to sweat. I'm fine, I've already lost all the shame I could, but if I really rub against a gentleman, then it'll be like mud falling into my crotch—even if it's not shit, it'll still be shit."
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm asking you a question, so either tell the truth or—die!"
"I'll speak my mind." Liu Xiao saw that the man's fist tightened and the sword blade was even closer to his neck, so he didn't dare to joke around anymore.
"Name?" "Liu Xiao."
"Place of origin?" "Jizhou Prefecture, Jizhou County, Jiwang Mansion, Jiwang Courtyard, Ji Changzhai."
"You're so cheeky!" "You just told me not to be cheeky."
The man took another deep breath and continued to ask.
"Ambition?" "A life of leisure and wealth." "You've already laid the path to your death." "Don't be like that, you can't tell anyone, okay? To unify the world."
"What if one person dies while ten thousand live?" "One person should die."
"If one person does good, what if ten thousand do evil?" "If we find out why ten thousand people do evil, the number of dead will not be just ten thousand."
"If one person were your friend or relative, and ten thousand were good citizens, what would you do?" "I don't know, but I would do everything in my power to kill the person who created this problem."
The mysterious man paused, then asked, "I heard that when you were seven years old, you uttered four sentences: 'To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations.' How would you explain these?"
"I want everyone to have access to books, to have a hundred schools of thought contend, and to live in harmony without uniformity; I want everyone to have food to eat, to be able to use their talents, and to thrive; I want the teachings of the sages to continue in development, and I want the skills of the world to be passed down through improvement; I want the wars of the world to end, I want to build bridges for the people on both sides of the Yangtze River, I want to build roads for the people in the high mountains, I want children in years of famine to live and grow up, I want students whose hands and feet are frozen in winter to have warm houses to stay in, I want the soldiers guarding the border to be able to return home safely, and I want farmers who have toiled all their lives to be able to enjoy the cool shade under the rice paddies." Memories from two worlds intertwined, and Liu Xiao's expression gradually became serious, then solemn and sacred. Before him, red flags fluttered, and Liu Xiao spoke as if making up for the oath he had never made in his previous life.
"I was invited by the King of Ji a few days ago to protect the Crown Prince's safety, but now I have changed my mind," the man said solemnly, sheathing his sword.
"Yuan Tiangang greets my lord. This time, I tested the girl, and I have put her to sleep with my acupoints. She will be released in an hour. I beg my lord to punish me."
"Haha, I have long heard of Master Yuan's illustrious reputation. May I ask if you have any friends? I would like to arrange our lodging and meals together." Liu Xiao said happily. He was glad that he had made the right bet, that he had spoken his heartfelt words to the right person, and that he had received affirmation.
"I have several friends who are staying elsewhere. I will come to visit you again tomorrow."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Commander Bu." Liu Xiao said with a smile.
For some reason, Yuan Tiangang felt as if a door had been opened in his heart, his chest suddenly felt open and his expression, hidden behind the mask, suddenly became excited.
"This subordinate takes his leave." Yuan Tiangang suppressed his excitement and wild thoughts, and respectfully withdrew.
Liu Xiao stretched and yawned, then grabbed a blanket and was about to lie down on the floor. How could a gentleman like him take advantage of someone in distress? (Well, actually, before Liu Xiao went to the capital, his cheapskate father gave him a few pointers, and later Liu Xiao sadly discovered that no matter what big waves he encountered, he couldn't stand up anymore...)
No, I absolutely have to master the "Primordial Qi Child Locking Yang Skill" that my dad gave me, and break through the restrictions at the ninth level. It's too damn frustrating.
Seeing that his current maid, Fu Xiang, was facing away from him with her shoulders partially exposed, Liu Xiao helplessly got up and tucked the blanket around her.
"Young Master, sob sob sob..." The girl suddenly got up and hugged him, but tears were already streaming down her face.
"What's wrong? It's okay, don't cry." Liu Xiao comforted Fu Xiang, who was a few years older than him, like a little adult.
"It's nothing, I just miss the young master, sob sob sob..." The little girl sniffled, and tears started falling again.
Outside the window, a sudden gust of wind swept across the sky, and flocks of birds flew overhead. Under the twinkling starlight, a ray of moonlight shone down along with the bright moon. Old Lu was already quite drunk. The chicken's rear end, which he had deliberately saved for last, was snatched away by Big Yellow, who was usually fierce but now wagged its tail and fawned over him. Old Lu squinted and drunkenly looked up, only to find that the clouds had parted, the moon was bright, and the Milky Way filled the sky.
"What a lovely day, Brother Dog, let's have a couple more drinks." He slyly reached for the dog's leg. "Woof!" The big yellow dog jumped up in fright and then lunged at the calloused hand. "Ouch!" Old Lu reacted quickly, snatching his hand back with a whoosh. By the time he raised his stick to strike, the dog had already darted more than three zhang away.
"Damn it, even God the heavens are a son of a bitch, so unpredictable. Hiccup!" Old Lu hiccuped, slumped into his chair, and started snoring.
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Let me add a couple of words here: I don't know if everyone enjoyed reading this chapter, but I certainly enjoyed writing it.
When I was a child, smartphones weren't common yet, and as I grew older, my family became very strict. Before I went to university, I felt disconnected from society. In my interactions with others, I always gave the impression of being out of touch with reality at a young age. My childhood was almost entirely spent listening to storytelling on the radio and collecting historical novels and stories by various means. Because of this, when I discovered the wonderful world of summoning scrolls, I started reading them one after another, and now, almost nine years later, I've been a fan of them.
I've wanted to write a summoning novel since I was a child. From the Three Fierce Ones to the Three Peaks, from Chaotic Threes to Chaotic Strange Ones, I've read many books and learned a lot, and of course, I've also borrowed a lot from them.
The imperial family is the most ruthless place, but I want to write a protagonist who is as affectionate and righteous as possible, even if only a little bit.
This is why some readers find my writing a bit wordy. I actually wanted to reflect the characters' psychological changes and circumstances through descriptions of external changes, and also to lay the groundwork for future plot points. For example, Emperor Liu Ming reading, Old Lu drinking, and Fu Xiang crying all contain foreshadowing.
Ahem, I've said too much. Please, astute readers, pretend you didn't guess it.
Getting back to the main point, this is the author's first time writing a book, and frankly, I know nothing. I just flipped through some drafts from high school, and on a whim, I started writing. I assure everyone that I will absolutely not abandon this project. If you have any methods or suggestions, please feel free to share them; I will review them all.
Okay, please add this to your favorites, read it, and vote for it. This seems to be very important for a new book. I guarantee at least 4000 words a day, and I'll write more when I have free time. My main goal is to not keep any drafts in reserve.
It's already 3 AM, I can't stay up any longer, so I'd like to wish all my readers a good morning, good afternoon, and good night.