Li Jing had set out. Yun Ye didn’t even know when he had departed. After having a good sleep in the warm ice house, he felt an unprecedented comfort. Aside from the maddening itch on the backs of his hands, in this severely cold winter, there really wasn’t anything to complain about. He Shao was still sleeping, his body emitting an unpleasant sweaty odor. He had sweated all night last night. Yun Ye had to get up several times to feed him water with a bit of salt and sugar added.
Breakfast was a large bowl of roasted flour. After steeping it with boiling water and stirring it into paste, He Shao ate two bowls. Being able to eat meant his bodily functions were recovering.
Actually, He Shao had regained consciousness last night. He knew Yun Ye was feeding him water, and knew he was repeatedly placing wet cloth on his forehead. Under the dim lamplight, Yun Ye’s hands that looked like pig’s trotters actually reflected a trace of lamplight. To punish him for beating himself up a few days ago, He Shao decided to continue being unconscious. But the tears from the corners of his eyes couldn’t stop flowing. This made Yun Ye think there was too much water in the cloth, so he wrung it twice more before placing it back on He Shao’s forehead.
He gave his cotton-padded long underwear to Cheng Chumo. As the second echelon, he needed to provide support for Li Jing. Zhang Gongjin ordered General Liang Cheng to lead five thousand troops toward Yinshan. There perhaps a fierce battle was raging. The sleds had all been requisitioned, the pack horses also requisitioned. Snowy ground wasn’t somewhere carts could travel. Only ten auxiliary soldiers were left for Yun Ye, all old and weak. The enormous convoy camp appeared empty and desolate.
Bored with nothing to do, Yun Ye found a pot, placed it on the stove to cook bone broth, and instructed the cook to slice mutton into thin pieces. He specially ran to the storehouse to dig out a jar of sugared garlic. There was only dried ginger powder—better than nothing. He threw in deep-fried Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, chili peppers and other seasonings, then left the tent himself to find Gongshu Jia.
Seeing Gongshu Jia pretending to look busy, Yun Ye understood he must untangle his emotional knot. Otherwise, this guilt might one day turn into hatred. Humans were strange creatures controlled by their thoughts. At first there might be shame and guilt. After a long time, one wouldn’t dare see the person causing guilt and discomfort anymore. A bit longer, this guilt would slowly turn into resentment. Even longer, perhaps the thought of eliminating you would arise. Only this way could he completely relieve the depression in his heart.
If someone says sorry to you, then you must be on guard. He won’t correct himself—he’ll just keep being sorry to you. Since he’s already wronged you once, what’s one more time? Better to do what you’re familiar with than something new!
“Old Jia, come here. Why have you been avoiding me these days? I’m not the plague.” Yun Ye loudly called Gongshu Jia. The conversation must be conducted openly and aboveboard. Sunlight had sterilizing effects and also therapeutic effects on dark psychology.
“Marquis Yun, why haven’t you rested? In such cold weather, getting frostbitten would be bad.” This was the standard talk of a guilt-ridden person. He would care for you, look after you, even respect you—all fine. But his true thoughts could only be spoken to heaven.
“Are you uncomfortable or not? When did the proud Gongshu Jia learn to grovel? The Gongshu family has been passed down for two thousand years. Your skills in civil engineering and mechanisms laugh at the world. Though in adversity, you still strive tirelessly. Masters should have masters’ dignity. Right or wrong can only be judged by yourself. Others’ opinions are just passing clouds. A few days ago you were still arguing with me about the Gongshu family’s position, wanting to occupy more academy resources. Where did that confidence go? I racked my brains to invite your family out of seclusion—not to pry into your family’s inherited secrets, but because your Gongshu family’s learning and skills are urgently needed by my academy. You and I have a fair transaction, clear and straightforward. You needn’t feel you owe me anything. These days you’ve been avoiding me—aren’t you annoyed?”
Gongshu Jia started in alarm, raised his head to look at Yun Ye for a long time before asking: “You saw through it?”
“You’re a scholar, not a slick operator from Chang’an who smiles to your face and stabs you in the back. All your thoughts are written on your face. You don’t have that cunning and treacherous ability, so don’t pretend to be deep—it’s disgusting to watch. Wouldn’t it be better to remain the proud Gongshu Jia? Whatever this old master doesn’t want to say, I won’t tell you. Come bite me! This kind of attitude is what you should have, what you ought to have. If the Gongshu family throws away a thousand years of pride, what’s left? When you get to Chang’an, maintain your master’s demeanor. The more proud you are, the more respect you’ll gain. Conversely, the weaker you are, the more you’ll be bullied. All of Chang’an is full of these bastards who bully the weak and fear the strong. With your current state, you still plan to mix in official circles? Sooner or later you’ll be meat in others’ mouths. Better to stay honestly in the academy.”
For people like Gongshu Jia, you must break down the reasoning and explain it to them thoroughly. They’ve been self-isolated for too long, lacking experience dealing with powerful families and wealthy merchants. As a friend, it was necessary to explain clearly.
“This old master won’t tell you that the one causing you trouble is a terrifying sect, won’t tell you that thousand-year-old families all have some unknown vicious methods, won’t tell you about the poisonous oath our ancestors made together. Come bite me if you can.”
Gongshu Jia’s roaring face under the sunlight was terrifying. The veins on his neck bulged out.
“Very good, Old Jia. That’s right when you say it like this. I’m even a bit scared. The nobles of Chang’an are all like me—bullying the weak and fearing the strong describes me exactly. See, you’ve already won my respect, so I’m preparing to treat you to a hotpot meal and flatter you a bit. The academy students still need famous teachers like you to teach them. Don’t think about those confused messy matters. Yetuo ate medicine and won’t live two more months. That terrifying family went north—the possibility of returning alive isn’t great. Even if they return, we’re in Chang’an. Without the grassland’s power to help him, he can’t stir up any waves. As long as they dare come, I’ll make them wish they were dead or alive. Now, let’s go eat hotpot—that’s the proper business.”
Through his anger, Gongshu Jia said what he could say, and tactfully explained the reasons why he couldn’t say more. This was enough. It was impossible to make everyone confess honestly to you. Yun Ye knew clearly he wasn’t a god and didn’t have any protagonist’s aura. Who doesn’t have some secrets in their heart? The fact that he had transmigrated—should he tell everyone? Yun Ye had a characteristic—he always weighed things. He believed how much he gained depended on how much he gave. As for rewards from character explosions, those were calculated separately.
Returning to the snow house with Gongshu Jia, lifting the thick door curtain, he saw He Shao sitting by the stove eating hotpot mutton. Opposite sat Sun Simiao. The old man was now actually eating meat, enjoying the hotpot. Beside them, Na Rimu couldn’t use chopsticks and couldn’t fish anything out. She was grabbing Sun Simiao and acting coquettish, hoping Old Sun would take care of her. But Old Sun ignored her, so she could only stand there drooling.
Seeing Yun Ye enter, she immediately brought her large bowl before Yun Ye, pointing at the pot and speaking in a foreign language.
With one kick Yun Ye sent Old He aside. Who told him to have the least human rights right now? This morning he still needed Yun Ye’s service to eat paste, but now he was opening his jaws wide eating hotpot mutton—clearly tormenting himself on purpose. Yun Ye knew this bastard was taking revenge. “Get lost! Your illness isn’t cured yet—what are you eating hotpot mutton for? Aren’t you afraid of eating yourself to death?”
“You’re too domineering! Even Divine Physician Sun said mutton is most suitable for someone like me just recovering from serious illness. It has the effect of nourishing the body. The spicy seasonings in the broth can dispel the cold qi in my body—very beneficial for me. Even if I eat myself to death, I won’t blame you.” Having said this, he leaned toward the pot again.
Gongshu Jia found himself a set of bowls and chopsticks, greeted Sun Simiao, and started fishing from the pot. Yun Ye first fished out a bowl for Na Rimu—otherwise he’d be drowned in drool. Seeing her gasping from the spiciness but with a blissful expression, Yun Ye gave up the thought of teaching her to use chopsticks.
“This pot is not bad. It’s indeed the best thing for inducing sweating. If this old Daoist adds a few more medicinal ingredients inside, it would have the effect of strengthening the body. Now the army will return soon. There will surely be many deaths and injuries. We need to prepare more of this stuff so those soldiers won’t suffer more then.” Old Sun threw down his chopsticks and said to Yun Ye.
“This junior will naturally comply. But when did you start eating meat? Daoism doesn’t prohibit meat and fish—this junior naturally knows. But you’ve always been vegetarian. Today eating meat makes this junior a bit curious.” Old Sun generally didn’t eat meat. He said people wanting longevity and health should eat less of those corpses. He believed those corpses all had slight toxins.
“Who said this old Daoist ate meat? This old Daoist was just tasting medicine, evaluating the efficacy of this thing.”
Yun Ye looked at the meat slices tumbling in the pot, then at Old Sun’s oily lips. He really couldn’t connect mutton with medicinal ingredients.
“Old Jia, study well. This is a master’s demeanor. In the future when you mix in Chang’an, you need Daoist Sun’s kind of presence. The words the old man speaks are always so reasonable. Your age is about the same as the Daoist’s, but this experience—you really can’t catch up even on a fast horse.”
Gongshu Jia, busy eating meat, extended his thumb amid his busy schedule, expressing admiration. It seemed he and Yun Ye had similar views.
Old Sun snorted and left with a flick of his sleeves, an expression of disdain. When he reached the tent entrance, he suddenly turned back and said to Yun Ye: “In this world, death and injury come too easily. Human life is also the most worthless thing. Even if we had three heads and six arms, we couldn’t save them all. A few days ago, I was blinded by rage. Don’t be influenced by me. Do whatever you want to do. Maintain your state of mind. Don’t be invaded by external demons.”
“I won’t be interfered with. I’m still me. But whoever creates the karma must repay it. If we use forgiveness for evil, that’s the greatest harm to forgiveness. Good-heartedness needs to distinguish its objects. Buddhism’s ‘put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot’—in my view, that’s pure nonsense. Pick up the knife to kill, put down the knife to chant Buddha—such fellows should be cut to pieces. Bandits enjoying plundered wealth must have the awareness of paying a price. Now is the time for them to repay their debts. Soft-heartedness won’t do. The grassland has grassland rules. Only iron and blood can make them submit obediently. I don’t mind comforting them after revenge, but this must be after repaying debts. If they still refuse to change their deadly ways, death might be a good solution.”
Old Sun was ultimately a monk. After anger came compassion—this was his kind and noble nature at work. He forcefully suppressed his rage to reveal the most precious aspect of human nature.