The day they departed from the capital for the northwest was exceptionally clear and sunny.
This time, Qi Boming brought only a troop of elite light cavalry when he returned to the capital to report on his duties. Originally, the group could set off whenever they wanted, coming and going in a hurry. But who could have expected that, with a single golden word from the Emperor, they would end up having to bring along a precious and burdensome person who needed to travel in a carriage?
Qi Boming had heard about Qiyueban’s achievements in reorganizing the Imperial Observatory, and approved of the action. However, he still had no favorable impression of the person himself.
The old man had spent more than half his life fighting wars with his own hands. While he and his soldiers fought desperately on the front lines, that demonic Taoist, the Imperial Advisor, enjoyed good food and drink in the imperial city, spreading absurd claims to mislead the Emperor. As a result, His Majesty spent his days bowing and praying before piles of worthless yellow talismans and copper coins, and had no interest in state affairs or military matters.
This led him to look down on all the wandering fortune-tellers and practitioners in the world. He felt the same way about Zhuge Yu and Zhuge Yu’s grandmaster.
Not to mention that this Qiyueban was extremely arrogant. They were unable to invite him before, but for some unknown reason, he suddenly agreed to come. So the Emperor hurriedly prepared a grand carriage for him, with silver dragons carved at the top, nearly matching the imperial carriage in its specifications. Moreover, it required eight horses to pull it.
This greatly slowed their progress, leaving the old man with a belly full of anger and nowhere to vent it.
Of course, Su Li knew nothing about any of this.
Before dawn, Su Li boarded the carriage and left the capital with the group. The large carriage ran very smoothly. As soon as he got in, he tilted his head and fell asleep. By the time he woke up, the carriage had already stopped. There was a noisy commotion outside, accompanied by the laughter and playful shouts of young men.
The laughter gradually drew closer. Su Li leaned against the carriage’s soft couch, staring at the curtain in front of him.
Before long, someone furtively lifted one corner of the curtain, revealing an unfamiliar face behind it.
It was a young man about the same age as Qi Changying, around sixteen or seventeen. He had a pair of fox eyes and looked clever and quick-witted.
When their eyes met, the young man froze for a moment, then curved his eyes into a smile and called out to the others in a raised voice:
“What do you mean, he’s sleeping? Look, he’s awake!”
As he spoke, the young man directly lifted the curtain and slipped into the carriage. Looking at Su Li, he said:
“Hello, the famous Qiyueban. My name is Shen Huarong, the military strategist of that dog head Qi Changying. I heard that at such a young age, you’ve already become that old man Zhuge Yu’s grandmaster? You must be more capable than him, right? Why don’t you calculate my fate for me? Will I enjoy great wealth and nobility and have children and grandchildren filling the halls?”
“No.”
Su Li had no idea where this noisy person had come from.
He put on a cold expression and answered casually:
“You look like a short-lived ghost who’ll die young. Happy?”
Unexpectedly, Shen Huarong was not annoyed by such an unlucky remark. Instead, he burst out laughing.
“Changying, you were right. This child is really fierce.”
“Stop teasing him.”
Another set of approaching footsteps came from outside the curtain. Soon, Qi Changying lifted it, reached in, and dragged Shen Huarong out of the carriage. He then looked up at Su Li and asked:
“Awake? We’ve already left the capital’s territory and stopped on the outskirts to rest. Would you like to get down, drink some water, and eat something?”
Su Li looked at him without answering.
After remaining silent for a moment, he silently climbed off the soft couch, walked over, and jumped down from the carriage.
It was noon, and the sun hung directly overhead, beating down on them. Su Li narrowed his eyes and pressed the corners of his lips downward.
He did not particularly like this kind of weather.
Not far away, groups of people had gathered together. They seemed to be cooking something to eat. They all wore similar dark-red fitted uniforms and silver light armor, so they were probably members of the Qi family army.
“Come, Ah Li.”
Qi Changying shooed Shen Huarong toward the other side and turned back to signal Su Li to follow him.
Su Li followed the two of them to a small pot propped up on wooden sticks nearby. Meat was cooking inside, and the milky-white soup was bubbling away.
Qi Changying found a bowl, filled it with soup, and handed it to Su Li, telling him to sit down and drink slowly. At the same time, he introduced the other person.
“Ah Li, this is Shen Huarong, the youngest son of the Duke of Shen. Ah Rong, this is Zhuge…”
“Qiyueban.”
Su Li coldly interrupted Qi Changying.
“I haven’t used my real name in a long time. Just call me Qiyueban.”
“Hey, aren’t you treating us differently? Why does Qi Changying get to call you by your name, while I can only call you by a title?” Shen Huarong slapped his thigh in dissatisfaction.
“…” Not wanting you to call me that is reason enough. Why would I need so many explanations?
Su Li frowned, about to offend this person even more thoroughly, but before he could speak, Qi Changying beside him smiled and answered on his behalf.
“I’m shameless. I insisted until he gave in.”
“Then I’m shameless too. Can’t I call you by your name as well?” Shen Huarong seemed determined to fight for fairness.
Su Li could not be bothered with him. He lowered his head and silently took a sip of soup.
“It depends on your ability.”
“What are you making such a fuss about?”
Just as they were arguing over a name, a dignified male voice suddenly interrupted from the side.
Su Li turned his head and saw that the speaker was a tall, burly old man dressed in an ink-black fitted uniform. His hand habitually gripped the hilt of the large saber hanging at his waist as he strode toward them.
Upon seeing him, Shen Huarong greeted him with a cheerful smile.
“Uncle Ming!”
Qi Boming nodded at him. Then his gaze fell on Su Li, and he frowned in surprise.
“Where did this child come from?”
“?” Su Li raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qi Changying and the others had set their departure time too early. It was still dark when they left. Su Li had gotten out of bed in a daze, washed up, then walked out the door and climbed straight into the carriage to continue sleeping. He did not come face-to-face with any of his traveling companions throughout the entire journey, so naturally, he didn’t get the chance to meet the famous Great General Qi.
He and Qi Boming looked at each other for a moment. Qi Boming was thinking that this child from some family was too ill-mannered. It was one thing not to bow upon seeing him, but how could he just stare at him so directly without even offering a greeting?
Just then, Qi Changying introduced him again.
“Father, this is Master Qiyueban from the Imperial Advisor’s residence.”
“?”
The shock on Qi Boming’s face was genuine.
During the time back in the capital, he had countless social engagements and had been busy every day. After sending his son to the Imperial Observatory to invite someone, he had neither the time nor the inclination to listen to a detailed report on how the whole affair had unfolded.
After all, they had failed to invite the person. What use was there in hearing all the details of their failure? It was not as if they were reviewing a battle. It would only waste space in his head.
Therefore, he never actually knew who Qiyueban was.
Until today.
When they set out early that morning, Qiyueban was already inside the carriage. He did not utter a word or show his face the entire way. Qi Boming was thinking that this old monster certainly had an impressive air of arrogance. He was even planning to find an excuse to trip the old monster up a little along the way and test his true capabilities.
Who could have expected that when the person finally appeared, he would not be an old monster at all, but a little monster?
“You… how old are you this year?” Qi Boming looked Su Li up and down, then looked him over again.
He still found it hard to believe.
“Thirteen.”
“…Tsk. At such a young age, you could learn all sorts of things, why choose this line of work?”
Qi Boming shook his head, clearly disapproving of Su Li’s profession.
Hearing him speak like that, Su Li was annoyed too.
He was used to doing whatever he pleased and did not care about the etiquette between elders and juniors. When he spoke, his tone was quite aggressive.
“What line of work am I in?”
Qi Boming was equally blunt and made no effort to conceal his prejudice.
“Wandering Taoist priests, swindling people and making a spectacle of yourselves!”
Su Li sneered. “Swindling people? In my thirteen years, I’ve seen more ghosts than you’ve seen people.”
“Hey! You little brat, what a big mouth…!”
“Father!”
Seeing that the two were not getting along, Qi Changying hurriedly stood up and brought the bowl to Qi Boming.
“Father, the journey has been tiring. Have some soup and rest for a while. We still have a long way to travel this afternoon.”
“That’s true.”
Qi Boming also felt that, at his age, he really should not be getting angry with a child even younger than his own son. But there was nothing he could do about it. This child was like a spark. It was one thing for him to crackle and burn on his own, but he could easily set others alight too.
So the old man bristled his mustache and could not resist saying:
“Of course, I can’t compare with certain little brats who have such an easy life, riding in an imperial carriage granted by His Majesty and traveling while sleeping.”
“What, dissatisfied? Feeling unbalanced?” Su Li sneered.
“If you were Qiyueban too, you’d know that a carriage pulled by eight horses is nothing special. If I wanted to, I could have ten thousand ghosts pull a palace around for me to live in as I traveled. It wouldn’t be difficult.”
“…Ah Li.”
With his father on one side and Su Li on the other, Qi Changying found himself in the most difficult position when these two started arguing.
He and Su Li were not close enough for him to tell Su Li to say less, and he could not tell his father to act like an elder and stop arguing with a child either. In the end, he could only poke Shen Huarong with his elbow, hoping he would say something to save the situation.
Who would have thought that Shen Huarong seemed to have been distracted by something and completely ignored Qi Changying?
He was staring wide-eyed at the barren woods not far away when he suddenly clapped his hands.
“Hey! I think I saw a wild rabbit dart over there!”
He almost jumped off the ground. Grabbing Qi Changying, he ran.
“Uncle, Little Qi, you two carry on arguing! No rush, take your time! Changying and I will go catch the rabbit. By the time you two get tired of arguing, we’ll be back with a rabbit to add to the meal and replenish your strength!”
“Hey…!”
The two young men rushed away like the wind, leaving the old man and the child staring at each other with wide eyes.
The sudden interruption broke their momentum, and the argument came to an end. Neither of them felt inclined to bring it up again. Qi Boming therefore cleared his throat twice, took his bowl of soup, and sat down opposite Su Li.
Su Li ignored him and simply turned his head to look back.
He saw that Shen Huarong had dragged Qi Changying away by force, but Qi Changying was still worried about what was happening on their side. He kept looking back, as though he could only relax once he had confirmed that both of them were safe and sound.
Su Li lowered his eyes and withdrew his gaze.
“Hey.”
The old man opposite him spoke again.
Su Li thought he wanted to argue some more, so he frowned and looked at him. Instead, Qi Boming pointed at the bowl in his hand.
“Has your soup gone cold? This kind of soup has oil floating on top. It will solidify once it cools down. It tastes bad and coats your mouth. Add some hot soup.”
“…” Su Li didn’t speak, simply holding out his bowl.
The old man snorted, clearly full of disapproval. Nevertheless, he picked up the ladle and personally added another scoop of hot soup to Su Li’s bowl.
“I thought you had a big temper.” Su Li lowered his head and took a sip of the reheated soup. He was reasonably satisfied with Qi Boming’s service.
Qi Boming snorted coldly.
“No matter how bad my temper is, I’m not going to argue with a child like you!”
Thus, by the time the two young men who had slipped away early returned, the two people who had been at each other’s throats moments earlier were already sitting peacefully across from each other, drinking soup.
“Look, can you stop trying to make sure everyone is taken care of? There are countless things in this world that you can’t manage, and countless people who need help. Are you going to try to protect every single one of them, reason with them, comfort them, and make sure everything is taken care of? Wouldn’t that make your life too exhausting?”
Earlier, after dragging Qi Changying some distance away and forcibly removing him from the battlefield, Shen Huarong put an arm around his shoulders and said this.
“One is my father, and the other is Ah Li. I can’t just stand there and do nothing.” Qi Changying replied helplessly.
“Could you even manage that situation? Although the child looked like the weaker party standing beside Uncle, he certainly didn’t hold back when it came to his mouth. And don’t let his young appearance fool you, all right? That’s the famous Qiyueban. Standing beside Uncle, he isn’t inferior in status at all. Just let the two of them argue! Why get yourself involved?
“Besides, when you encounter a situation you can’t handle, stop trying to take care of both sides. If you don’t want to show favoritism or make either party feel wronged, then just turn around and run off by yourself. Once you’ve run away, whatever happens between them is their own business. As long as you aren’t there, it has nothing to do with you. Whoever feels wronged can be comforted privately afterward. That’s still better than getting caught in the middle when the battle is at its fiercest, right?”
Shen Huarong spoke casually. He somehow produced a folding fan, tapped Qi Changying with it, then snapped it open with a “whoosh” and fanned himself while clicking his tongue in admiration.
“This child from the Zhuge family isn’t simple at all… Let me guess. Did you do something to him? Otherwise, why was he so dismissive of this assignment to the northwest before, only to suddenly announce that he wanted to come right before departure? And he only lets you call him by his real name. How should I put it? Could it be that he really came here because of you?”
“He naturally has his own considerations. What does that have to do with me?” Qi Changying smiled and shook his head, feeling that Shen Huarong was overthinking things.
“We only met once before. When we met again in the capital this time, I saw that he was always unhappy, so I kept trying to tease him and took him out to have some fun.”
“See? See! What did I tell you? Neing unhappy is his own business. Why are you sticking your nose into it? You just love meddling in other people’s affairs! You don’t know this, but children who look unhappy, gloomy, and precociously mature tend to have a lot on their minds. And on top of that, he’s that Qiyueban, the grandmaster of that old monster Zhuge Yu! Can you stop treating him like a child? He deals with all sorts of strange things involving gods and ghosts every day. Be careful that one day he puts some kind of curse on you and binds himself to you for eternity!”
Shen Huarong made it sound frightening. Words alone were not enough, so he even leaned closer to scare him.
Qi Changying raised his hand and pushed him away.
“What are you talking about? How could it be that mysterious? He wouldn’t do that.”
“It’s not that mysterious. There are some people and things in this world you can’t casually provoke. Once you get entangled with them, it’ll be difficult to shake them off. Besides, you’ve only known him for a few days. How much do you understand about him? You can’t see what’s in another person’s heart. How do you know he wouldn’t do it? And doesn’t their line of work talk about past lives and reincarnation? What if he clings to you into your next life, or even worse, simply makes it so you don’t even have a next life, so that after you die, you can only become a ghost and be haunted by him forever, unable to escape? You wouldn’t even have anywhere to cry!”
Shen Huarong shook his fan and sighed.
He and Qi Changying had known each other since they were still swaddled infants. They had grown up together and could be said to be inseparable.
Shen Huarong understood Qi Changying’s selfless, kind-hearted nature all too well. He was often worried about it.
“…Uncle is right. You’re just too softhearted. Other people do good deeds by handing out porridge outside the city. You do good deeds by wishing you could split yourself into several pieces and send them out to illuminate other people. I’m telling you, Ah Ying, your soft heart is your fatal flaw. Sooner or later, it’ll get you into serious trouble!”
“It’s not as if I give myself away to everyone I meet.”
Unwilling to discuss the matter any further, Qi Changying ended the topic and instead asked:
“Was the wild rabbit just an excuse you used to get me away from the argument?”
“That wasn’t an excuse. I really did see something. Right over there. A black shadow darted past.”
Having his topic changed so easily, Shen Huarong quickly walked to the spot he had pointed at and pushed aside the bushes.
He leaned forward to look deeper into the bushes, but then he froze slightly, and the smile at the corner of his mouth faltered.
“Eh? It wasn’t a rabbit…?”
So, in the end, what Shen Huarong carried back and placed in front of Su Li was a little civet cat less than a year old.
The civet had a coat of dark black fur and a pair of large yellow eyes. It was anxiously drawing in its paws and legs as it looked at the humans around it.
“Do you like cats?” Shen Huarong asked, rubbing the little civet’s head with the pad of his finger.
Su Li stared at the little black ball. Thinking about Shen Huarong’s earlier remark about adding something to the meal, he was concerned about only one thing.
“Can it be eaten?”
“Of course not. Who eats cats? They don’t even taste good.” Shen Huarong shrugged.
“You’ve eaten one?” Su Li asked.
“No, but I know. Something delicious isn’t necessarily eaten by everyone, but something that nobody eats must taste bad.”
Shen Huarong patted the little civet’s bottom and nudged it toward Su Li.
“I originally said I wouldn’t bring it back if it was a cat, but Changying said you might like it. We still have more than a month of travel ahead of us, and it’ll be boring on the road. Having it accompany you might help relieve your boredom. Besides, your carriage is so big that one more won’t make it crowded. Anyway, it’s up to you. If you like it, keep it. If you don’t, I’ll take it away and release it.”
Su Li looked at the black cat, then raised his eyes to look elsewhere.
“Where’s Qi Changying?”
“He went to help the soldiers pack up. We’re almost done resting, so we should be setting off soon.”
“…”
Hearing this, Su Li looked toward the crowd and indeed spotted that conspicuous shade of crimson among them.
Then he withdrew his gaze, reached out, and with a hint of disgust, picked up the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
The cat was very well-behaved. Even when lifted up, it did not struggle. It simply looked at Su Li without moving.
It did not look like a troublesome thing.
And its appearance was passable too.
So Su Li magnanimously allowed it to stay by his side.
The kitten was indeed easy to care for. It ate little and slept all the time, and whenever there was nothing to do, it would curl up with Su Li on the soft couch.
The journey was still long, and Su Li gradually grew accustomed to having it by his side. Wherever he went, he carried it in his hand.
Qi Changying was very happy that he had made a new friend. During his free time, he helped bathe the kitten and told Su Li that from then on, this was his pet cat, and he could give it a name.
Give it a name?
Su Li was always giving names to magical artifacts and curses, but he had never named a living creature before.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Shoumo.”
He was always carrying it in his hand, and it looked like a ball of ink.
So Shoumo it was.
“…Shoumo? As in the Shou meaning ‘protecting?”
“…”
It seemed that Qi Changying and Su Li’s thoughts had diverged in a subtle way.
But it did not matter much. They were pronounced the same anyway.
**手墨 (shǒu mò), meaning “Hand Ink,” is the name Su Li gives the kitten. However, Qi Changying interprets it as 守墨 (shǒu mò), meaning “Protecting Ink” or “Guarding Ink.” The two words sound identical but use different characters and have different meanings.
Su Li could not be bothered to waste more words on such a matter, so he simply responded indifferently.
“…Ah.”
