073 Wake

The rain has passed, leaving behind verdant mountains and the sun shining through the clouds.

Last night, a sudden and unforeseen rain poured down in the dead of night, with thunder rolling and rain pouring like buckets. The following day, the sky cleared up, leaving behind a pristine azure expanse.

"Meow~~~"

"Meow~~~"

"Meow meow meow~~~"

The sounds of a young and tender cat echoed within the room. Sunlight from outside danced through the cracks, mischievously landing on the thick and long lashes of Qishan. A small light-colored tabby kitten, not much larger than an adult's palm, mewed softly. It was still too young, with limbs lacking the strength to venture far.

Having awakened from slumber on the bamboo cushion, it stumbled over, arriving beside the pillow. Its gaze appeared hazy as it lifted its front paws to push aside the "obstacle" blocking its path.

The "obstacle" proved unyielding, still soft to the touch.

Using both paws, it exerted great effort, managing to climb halfway up the "obstacle's" face. Perhaps out of curiosity, it extended its tongue to lick, feeling a soft and slightly itchy sensation. The figure in the midst of the nightmare seemed to sense something.

With a slight furrow of the brow and the fine trembling of eyelashes, under the concerted efforts of the cat and the sunlight, signs of awakening appeared in the "obstacle."

Qishan felt as though he had endured a long and nightmarish dream. Awakening, he couldn't recall the contents of the dream, yet the profoundly dark and suffocating sensation lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Exerting all his strength to break free from the nightmare's grasp, he suddenly opened his eyes. Unsure of how long he had slept, he found it difficult to adapt to the bright morning light outside, tears uncontrollably welling up in his eyes.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the discomfort to subside. As each sensation returned, he also felt a tickle in his throat, a tearing sensation in his chest. With furrowed brows, he endured, managing to suppress the sweet and bloody surge in his throat.

"Cough, cough, cough~~~"

"Meow~~~"

With Qishan's sudden movement, the efforts of the cat were in vain. It whimpered, gazing with watery, clear green eyes at the looming figure before it. Qishan's coughing abruptly ceased, turning his head in disbelief upon hearing the sound.

Two pairs of eyes, one black and one green, met at close range. Qishan could even feel the soft fur of the cat beneath his nose.

"How did you—"

Supporting himself with his right elbow on the bed, he slowly sat up, lifting the cat onto the blanket and surveying the familiar surroundings. It was only then that he noticed another person in the room. Shen Xiaolangjun leaned against the door with his long sword, dozing off with his head slightly tilted.

Her serene sleeping face seemed to indicate a deep slumber.

However, upon noticing Qishan's gaze, she woke up.

"Yuanliang, are you awake?" Shen Tang sat up, putting away her Motherly Mercy sword, lazily yawning as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Without missing a beat, she said, "Are you hungry? I'll fetch you something to eat from the kitchen. After you've eaten, you can take your medicine and get some more rest."

Qishan stroked the cat in his palm.

As soon as he woke up, he recalled the scenes before he fell unconscious.

Only this little creature in his palm could stabilize his emotions to some extent. Perhaps the most furious and shocking stage had passed. Now, recalling those messages still made him feel uncomfortable and stifled, but he didn't feel the urge to exterminate the Zheng family ten times over as he did before.

"Is Xiaolangjun always here?"

He meant to ask if Shen Xiaolangjun had always been guarding him like this.

Shen Tang truthfully replied, "Not always. We took turns with Wu Hui to buy some morning food from the market."

Qishan was lost in thought. By the time Shen Tang brought back the medicine and minced meat porridge made by Chuyao the previous night, which was kept warm in the eastern kitchen, his body condition wasn't very good. His stomach was also not in good shape, so he could only eat something easily digestible and nutritious.

Qishan didn't say much, just murmured a thank you. Without furrowing his brows, he drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.

"I didn't expect your body to be so weak..."

Last night, vomiting blood in anger, he was on the brink of death.

Shen Tang was worried that she hadn't seen him for a moment, and he had already breathed his last. Fortunately, his breath gradually became stronger in the morning, and she finally left the house to have some breakfast. It was her first time realizing that a person could actually be suffocated to death...

Qishan said, "It's actually not that bad."

"You don't even blush when you lie."

Qishan smiled and explained, "My body is not bad, but the burden brought by the path of a literatus is too heavy, inevitably leading to weakness."

The sword at his waist wasn't just for decoration. Although his martial skills couldn't compare to Shen Tang's after drinking alcohol, he had no trouble dealing with ordinary thugs. This coma was truly an exception.

"Have you used your literatus skills?"

Qishan replied, "Not at the moment, but there are lingering issues from the past."

Shen Tang asked, "From the past?"

Qishan smiled and said, "Regicide."

Every time it was the lord who broke the vow of loyalty first, and Qishan was unharmed. However, the literary energy required for the backlash came from his side, which inevitably created a burden. One or two times were no problem, but if it happened frequently, the pressure would naturally increase.

Shen Tang asked, "...Can your body recover?"

Qishan smiled and said, "It can recover, either by seclusion for a few years or by seeking a lord who won't easily break his word."

Shen Tang patted his shoulder heavily with a serious expression. "Then you'd better take a few years to recuperate. The world is so chaotic right now, and it won't calm down for a while. You still have time to come out of seclusion. Listen to me, health is the greatest capital for revolution. Also, try to be less angry in the future. With Zheng Qiao's chaos, not only will the remnants of the Xin Kingdom be forced to rebel, but the people of the Geng Kingdom will sooner or later be unable to bear his atrocities..."

Without capital, what could you do?

Most importantly—

Although Qishan didn't elaborate, from his casual tone, it seemed that he had probably "regicided" more than a handful of lords over the years. His literatus skills were indeed quite domineering. The next lord would have to be careful and choose wisely.

For the sake of his health, and also for the lord's life.

Saving a life is more meritorious than building seven

 pagodas.

Qishan: "..."