Chapter 11: The Closer One Gets to Home, the Greater the Unease |
“Borrowing Lifespan from Heaven, Cycle of Twelvefold Longevity Method…”
Li Shun turned these eight words over and over in his mind, carefully pondering the meaning hidden behind them.
The first half was not difficult to grasp. When a mortal’s lifespan was nearing its end, they would borrow from the heavens. The universe was boundless, time without end. Even stealing the slightest trace of its fortune would be enough to restore one’s youth.
But the latter half, “Cycle of Twelvefold Longevity,” what exactly did it refer to?
And the word “borrow” carried a subtle implication.
After all, what is borrowed must eventually be repaid. For a method of longevity that defied the natural order, what price would the Great Qian royal family have to pay in return?
Li Shun’s thoughts surged like waves, a flicker of uncertainty dancing in his eyes.
Feng Guan, however, noticed none of this. At that moment, he seemed brimming with restless energy, as though he had an endless need to vent his excitement. He gestured animatedly, his tone shifting as he launched into a ramble.
“Cripple, you have no idea! With this rank of Gongshi, everything is different. That county magistrate who always looked down on us? Yesterday, not only did he personally encourage me, he even called me by name with a smile!”
Feng Guan recited the line with exaggerated flair, though it was clear he had no understanding of its meaning. His face, however, brimmed with unrestrained delight.
“I don’t know what all that refined nonsense means, but it just sounds profound and pleasing!”
“Jianwei, Feng Jianwei… Cripple, I finally have my own courtesy name in this life!”
He paced back and forth excitedly, full of vigor.
“You should have seen it. Today, when I walked through the market street, those constables Zhao Xu and Deng Hong, who used to bully us at every turn, actually avoided me like mice seeing a cat! Hahaha, it felt incredible! Truly incredible!”
After his laughter subsided, his gaze seemed to drift toward Li Shun’s crippled leg and the dilapidated room. The fervor in his expression dimmed slightly.
He stepped forward and gave Li Shun a firm pat on the shoulder, offering comfort.
“Cripple, don’t lose heart. Even though you didn’t receive a title this time, Great Qian allows merit to accumulate for life. Next time, as long as you make any contribution at all, advancing one rank will be easy!”
“When that day comes, the two of us can both return to our youth, living the good life!”
“I still remember… when we first met thirty years ago…”
He continued rambling on, as if he had an endless well of old memories to pour out. Li Shun did not interrupt. He simply leaned against the bed, smiling faintly as he listened in silence.
More than an hour passed like this.
Then, without warning, the lively atmosphere in the room came to an abrupt halt.
Feng Guan stopped mid-sentence. The wild joy and pride on his youthful, handsome face faded like a receding tide. He stared blankly at Li Shun, his lips trembling slightly.
“Cripple… I have to go.”
Li Shun’s expression remained calm, as if he had expected this all along.
“Once granted a title, one is freed from a lowly status. According to Great Qian law, it is only right for you to return home in glory.”
“Return home… in glory…”
Yet Feng Guan showed none of the joy one might expect. Instead, it was as if all his strength had been drained away. His body trembled as he repeated those words like a man possessed.
After a long moment, he suddenly raised his head. What appeared on his face was a smile far more painful than tears.
“But… but I feel like Lengshan County is my home!”
“I’ve spent almost my entire life here.”
“And that so-called ‘home’… Yunguan County… I haven’t been back there for decades. There are no parents waiting for me, no relatives, not even a single friend I can speak to…”
His voice grew increasingly hoarse. By the end, this “youth” with the appearance of a seventeen-year-old broke down completely, crying like a helpless child.
“Cripple… I don’t want to leave. I’m afraid…”
Watching Feng Guan collapse to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, Li Shun felt a complicated weight stir in his heart. The body before him still bore the form of a youth, yet the soul within had long since been battered and worn by the passage of years.
In the end, he could only let out a long, quiet sigh.
It was only when Feng Guan’s wailing gradually broke into uneven, choking sobs that Li Shun finally reached out and patted his somewhat frail shoulder.
“I know you don’t want to go back,” he said in a low, steady voice. “But the laws of Great Qian are strict. Once your labor term ends, you must return to your place of origin. You are not permitted to remain.”
“Do you think we can go against the imperial court?”
The words “imperial court” fell like a basin of cold water over his head. The fear of Great Qian’s authorities, etched deep into his bones, finally forced Feng Guan to snap out of his grief.
He stopped crying and hastily wiped the tears and snot from his face. Yet his young features still carried a look of panic and uncertainty toward the unknown.
Li Shun’s expression turned solemn. Like an elder offering earnest counsel, he spoke with great seriousness, “After you return, remember this. Keep your head down and act with caution. Yuguan County may be your homeland, but so much time has passed that it will feel unfamiliar to you.”
“Don’t believe everything others say. Observe more, think more. And whatever happens, never stand out recklessly…”
Feng Guan listened like a diligent child, his eyes red as he etched every word into his mind. He nodded heavily.
…
Seventeenth day of the second month. An auspicious day for travel.
Outside the gates of Lengshan County, Feng Guan had changed into a set of decent clothes. Carrying a simple pack, he set off along the official road leading back to his hometown, escorted by two imperial couriers of Great Qian.
Li Shun, dragging his crippled leg, remained hidden within the crowd. He watched as Feng Guan’s figure turned back again and again through the morning mist, gradually growing more distant until it vanished completely from sight.
At the ninth hour of the night, news suddenly arrived.
Feng Guan was dead.
The two couriers escorting him had also met violent ends.
Upon hearing the grim news, Li Shun stood motionless in his room for a long time. Feng Guan’s face, once aged and worn, yet filled with youthful panic before his departure, flickered repeatedly through his mind.
Only after spending a considerable sum did Li Shun manage to uncover further details.
“It was revenge from the remnants of the Xiang Kingdom.”
“Although most of the rebels who attacked the city that day were captured on the spot, a small number managed to escape.”
“And it was precisely because Feng Guan reported them that their operation failed and their leader was taken captive. Naturally, they sought revenge.”
Li Shun’s gaze darkened, a chill gradually surfacing within it.
As the day drew to a close, his main consciousness descended once more into the Fangcun space, standing firmly before the half-ruined stone statue.
Without hesitation, he spoke in a deep, resonant chant,
“I examine myself thrice each day.”
In an instant, his words took form as law. Time reversed once again.
He returned to the morning of the seventeenth day of the second month.
Feng Guan was humming to himself as he packed his belongings when the wooden door was suddenly pushed open. Li Shun, who should have been bedridden recovering from his injuries, strode in.
“Cripple, what’s wrong?” Feng Guan paused, somewhat surprised.
“I suddenly thought of something. If you leave alone today, could you fall victim to revenge from the Xiang remnants?” Li Shun spoke directly, his tone rapid.
“The Xiang remnants? Weren’t they all captured?” Feng Guan froze.
Li Shun said nothing, only stared at him intently. Under that piercing gaze, something in Feng Guan’s mind snapped taut, and he finally realized the gravity of the situation.
“Th-then what should I do?!” His once rosy face turned pale, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
“There are two options. Either you disguise yourself and leave quietly, avoiding attention… or choose a safer method.”
A faint glint flashed in Li Shun’s eyes as he said calmly,
“Go seek help from the County Magistrate. After all, he surely wouldn’t want a newly appointed First-Rank noble under his jurisdiction to die before even leaving Lengshan County.”
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