Houzi?
Clay?
Both Shen Mo and Bai Youwei were taken aback, and it took several seconds before it clicked — there had indeed been a small-time troublemaker with the nickname Houzi who had stolen Tan Xiao’s and Cheng Weicai’s clay tools.
But now…
Shen Mo picked up those two lumps of grey-white clay and weighed them in his hand.
When these two pieces of clay were stolen, one had 9 uses remaining, and the other had 8. But now, one had only 2 uses left, and the other had just 1.
What on earth had Houzi been using them for? He’d burned through 17 uses down to only 3! That was an awfully high rate of injury…
“You ran into Houzi?” Shen Mo asked Tan Xiao.
“No! But I ran into my brother Shan!” Tan Xiao was bursting with excitement. He pushed the solidly built man in front of Shen Mo and Bai Youwei and introduced him: “This is Brother Shan — real name Hu Dashan! My good buddy! My iron brother! We grew up so close we shared one pair of trousers!”
Bai Youwei looked rather puzzled. “He looks at least ten years older than you. How did you share trousers as kids?”
Tan Xiao gave a sheepish laugh. “I’m just trying to describe how deep the bond is…”
The man called Hu Dashan also laughed good-naturedly and introduced himself: “We used to live in Taizhou. Thanks to the two of you, Taizhou is now completely clear of those harmful games! We heard that the base here is recruiting subjects, so a few of us made a special trip from Taizhou. If you’re interested, feel free to consider us…”
“We’re all our own people! What’s there to consider?!” Tan Xiao clapped his chest generously, full of bold confidence. “Don’t worry! We’ll definitely recruit you first!”
He turned to Shen Mo and Bai Youwei and said: “Brother Mo, Sister Wei, I’m not just boasting — when it comes to fighting, every one of my boys is top tier! And they’re loyal, they’ve got integrity! See, the clay is the best proof!”
Hu Dashan’s smile grew increasingly eager to please. “The thing is, we have someone in our group called Houzi, and the clay belongs to him. If we’d known it was stolen from you, we would have returned it long ago.”
Shen Mo and Bai Youwei understood now.
This was them coming to pledge loyalty, clay in hand.
Clay with only 3 uses left…
Shen Mo deliberated for a moment, then said, “The date for the first battle is still a ways off. You can stay at headquarters and train for a while. When we’re ready to recruit, we’ll contact you.”
“Right, right! Stay and train first!” Tan Xiao said to Hu Dashan. “We can train together! I’ve been working on a new set of moves lately — they’re so cool!”
But a flicker of disappointment crossed Hu Dashan’s eyes.
Bai Youwei caught it. She let a slow smile spread across her face. “No need to rush. Fighting skills take time to develop. Because in this coming battle, one of us will be exercising the right to surrender — subjects won’t need to fight at all. The real battle will be the one after that.”
“I see…” Hu Dashan forced a smile. “That’s also… quite good… There’ll be plenty of time to prepare.”
“Come on! Let’s go drink!” Tan Xiao slung his arm around Hu Dashan’s shoulders, in high spirits. “Quick, tell me how you ended up in Taizhou. Why didn’t you call me along…”
The two turned and walked into the crowd.
Bai Youwei and Shen Mo looked at each other.
“What’s the benefit of actively becoming a subject?” Shen Mo was mildly puzzled.
Bai Youwei couldn’t figure it out either.
Though subjects could share in the spoils when a King won, the risks were hard to calculate — and besides… pledging allegiance this early, wasn’t it a bit premature?
At that moment, Yu Chaohui, who had been quietly drinking nearby, spoke up: “It’s probably connected to the rumors going around the base lately.”
Bai Youwei and Shen Mo looked at him. “What rumors?”
“All kinds.” Yu Chaohui replied, his expression impassive. “One says that after winning, the King and subjects gain immortal bodies. Another says subjects will be granted their own territories. And another says… subjects can stage a coup in the later stages of the war and replace the King.”
—