Futile Devices Scans

Zhang San remained silent for a long while before saying magnanimously, “You must have your reasons for doing this. I understand. Go without worry.”

Li Si said, “…Cough…”

Brother Xiao sounded magnanimous, but his two tiger arms were nearly crushing Li Si’s waist in half. His long legs were wrapped around him as tightly as a pair of pythons.

Li Si’s face flushed from the pressure, and he could not move at all. He could only kiss Brother Xiao’s face repeatedly to soothe him. As he kissed him, he struggled to breathe, squeezed so tightly that he could not even speak.

He could not bear to leave Brother Xiao either, and he was deeply worried about the present battle at Kuiyuan. Yet after agonizing over it, he truly could not allow anyone else to undertake this task—the only person who could infiltrate the palace, kill Perfected Master Shen Xiao, and then quietly await an opportunity to withdraw was probably Li Si himself.

He was not indecisive. Once he had thought something through carefully, he would make his decision just as seriously. The last time he left Kuiyuan, Brother Xiao had tricked him into going, and the emperor’s absurd decree ordering him to “recover the fire vein” had forced him away. But this time, he was choosing to leave of his own accord.

The emperor and the court were cowardly and weak. Once the capital was besieged, they would certainly try to cede the three strongholds again in exchange for peace. Only after the siege of the capital was lifted would the emperor relent and Kuiyuan have any hope of survival.

Now that he understood his own resolve, he finally understood how Brother Xiao had felt when he deceived him into leaving—if not precisely because his love ran so deep, how could he have acted so “heartlessly”?

Li Si had been foolish. He had grown angry and called Brother Xiao a “big liar” and a “big tiger,” when he himself was the truly wicked colt.

Blaming himself, he chased after Brother Xiao’s mouth and kissed him, struggling in the weak candlelight to raise his eyes and study Brother Xiao’s expression. Brother Xiao spoke with breezy magnanimity, but his eyes had grown blurred. The bright blaze in those tiger eyes had dimmed, filling with moisture.

“What are you looking at me for?” Zhang San scolded softly. “I hadn’t cried in years. Ever since I met a little crybaby like you, it seems to have become contagious.”

Li Si’s own eyes were brimming with tears. Sniffling, he said aggrievedly, “I didn’t cry before I met you either.”

Suspicion appeared in Zhang San’s eyes. Who could possibly believe that? But Sisi was not someone who lied. “You truly haven’t been crying since childhood?”

“I didn’t cry. I hardly even spoke before.”

Nestled in Brother Xiao’s arms, Li Si gestured with his hands, struggling to weave words together as he described his life before meeting him.

“…Everything was dark. My ears were always buzzing, and I couldn’t understand what any of you were saying. Second Uncle said that ever since I was little, I ‘never cried and never smiled’…”

He was certainly talkative now, chattering and gesturing for quite some time.

Zhang San listened in utter confusion. “You mean you used to suffer from some strange illness and wandered around in a daze, then I knocked you onto the ground in the earthen fortress and cured you?”

Li Si nodded.

Realization dawned on Zhang San. “No wonder you’re such a little fool!” He leaned back and exposed his broad chest. “And no wonder you go stupid the moment you bury your face here! I think being knocked down made you happy. You were born liking this. You simply need to be pressed in there more often. Once you’re accustomed to it, you’ll be fine!”

As he spoke, he generously opened his arms and pressed Li Si’s head down, determined to let him experience plenty of happiness. Li Si retreated in terror, while Zhang San pursued him with a wicked grin.

The two began fighting on the bed again. Li Si could not bear to use real force, while Zhang San wrapped and tangled himself around him, straddling and pressing him down as he grinned so widely he could not close his mouth. It took only a few moves before he succeeded and pushed that shy, embarrassed little face into his chest.

Sure enough, when he pulled Li Si back out for a look, he had gone stupid again.

Zhang San burst out laughing, bent down, and kissed him twice with loud smacks, waking him up.

Li Si had only just flushed bright red and opened his mouth to speak when Zhang San pressed his head back inside.

Li Si said, “Brother—”

He had gone stupid again. Hahaha! Zhang San kissed him awake once more.

Li Si said, “Don’t…”

Stupid again! Hahaha! Another kiss to wake him!

Li Si said, “Let go of me…”

Hahaha!

After several repetitions, Li Si had gone from managing one word to managing five. Clearly, “getting used to it” truly worked.

Li Si’s face had been buried until it was scarlet, and tears had seeped from his eyes. The final time Zhang San pressed him against his chest, Li Si left the entire front of it damp. He raised his head indignantly and stammered, “B-big, big tiger! Big, wicked, wicked bug!”

The wicked bug laughed. “See? Aren’t you better now? You didn’t faint.”

Li Si froze. That was true. He wrinkled his face and fell silent.

The wicked bug grinned and coaxed him, “Doesn’t it make you happy? Come, come. Touch it yourself, then use your teeth… Gently, gently…”

–

The two behaved absurdly for the entire night. The wicked bug received his punishment and still could not rise even when the sun was high overhead.

Li Si went alone to meet Pacification Commissioner Li, requested leave on Brother Xiao’s behalf, and told him about the plan they had discussed the previous night.

Li Si was utterly sincere by nature and trusted Pacification Commissioner Li, so he straightforwardly told Li Gang even about his intention to assassinate the State Preceptor. Li Gang went pale with fright, hurriedly rose onto his toes to cover Li Si’s mouth, and turned to look outside the main tent. Only after confirming that no one was listening did he breathe a sigh of relief. “Si’er! It is fine to tell me, but you must not tell anyone else. No matter how close they are to you—even before your grandmother or godmother, you absolutely must not speak of this!”

Li Si had never intended to frighten Grandma or Godmother by telling them. He obediently nodded.

Li Gang said, “Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know…”

Li Si said, “Brother Xiao knows too.”

Li Gang: “…”

—One look at the tiger-tooth marks on your neck was enough to tell me that he knew too!

Li Gang had previously traveled north with Li Si and trained troops alongside him in Longde Prefecture and Yuci County. He admired and cherished Li Si’s character and talent, while Li Si respected his extensive learning, intelligence, courage, and perseverance. The two had become as close as father and son. Throughout the journey, Li Gang had heard Li Si mention “Brother Xiao” countless times, chattering about every wonderful thing Brother Xiao had ever done.

Later, Li Si finally received the chance to deliver a message to Ant County. Overjoyed, he strapped the pigeons to his back and ran off in a flash—and once he arrived, he remained in Ant County and refused to return. It had made Li Gang experience all the reluctance and heartache of marrying off a daughter.

He had long guessed that their relationship was extraordinary. Now it was merely confirmed.

Li Gang coughed awkwardly and sighed. “Commander Zhang is a young hero, and I admire him greatly. You and he are, cough, well matched. It is only that his temperament seems bold and unrestrained. I fear he may lose all sense of proportion and bully you. Si’er, you must not give in to him in everything.”

Li Si did not understand why everyone believed Brother Xiao would bully him. But when he remembered how Brother Xiao had repeatedly shoved his face into his chest the previous night, nearly knocking his nose crooked, burying him until his face hurt and his head alternated between clarity and dizziness… did that not count as bullying?

Yet that bullying… had also made him happy.

Li Gang watched the child’s expression change from confusion to grievance, from delight to bashfulness.

—Enough! One was willing to strike and the other willing to suffer. He should not have meddled!

–

Pacification Commissioner Li left five thousand soldiers and five hundred war wagons to defend Jinyang and prepared to take twenty thousand troops south under imperial orders to save the emperor. He promised that once the danger to the capital was resolved, he would return to Kuiyuan as quickly as possible. There was no time to delay. He immediately ordered the entire army to prepare, and they would depart southward the following day.

Li Si returned to the drill ground to make arrangements, then headed back to pack his belongings.

That afternoon, when he returned to the little courtyard, he found Elder Sister and Brother-in-law sitting outside chatting. Brother Xiao was also perched on the little camp stool with the soft cushion, once again wearing nothing but a thin robe.

Brother Xiao’s chest was exposed. Pointing at the dense suction marks and the swollen little tips covering it, he loudly told Elder Sister and Brother-in-law, “Do you see this? Am I the one bullying him? He’s the one who bullies me every time! Don’t be fooled because he’s young. He’s an instructor in the Imperial Army! He teaches people to ride horses and shoot arrows, and he can fly all over the place! His waist and legs are powerful, and his stamina is incredible. He keeps doing this and that to me, then that and this! Did I cry out in pain? Did I complain I was tired? Last night, nothing I shouted made any difference!”

Elder Sister said, “Even if he bullied you, you must have started it by behaving wickedly, so you deserved it. Besides, Si’er has far more restraint than you. How could he be bullying you? At most, he was cherishing you.”

Zhang San cried, “Are you truly my sister? Is there no justice in this world? Brother-in-law, won’t you say something fair?”

Brother-in-law murmured, “A real man should be satisfied as long as it felt good… You also, cough, enjoyed yourself…”

Zhang San was so furious that he sprang up from the stool. He immediately strained his waist, cried out in pain, and toppled backward, only to be caught by Li Si. Taking advantage of the situation, he grabbed Li Si’s arm and bit down hard. “Why are you so lovable? Everyone speaks for you!”

Imitating the way Zhang San apologized and coaxed him, Li Si hurriedly soothed him. “It was my fault. I was wrong. Does your body hurt? Shall I take you back inside to rest?”

Zhang San promptly collapsed against him and said weakly, “Ah, I hurt everywhere. My whole body feels terrible, and I feel nauseous too. I fear I’m about to develop another fever…”

Elder Sister shouted, “Zhang Lao San, have some shame! You were hopping around the courtyard perfectly well just now, and you ate three bowls at lunch!”

–

The two young men were vigorous, hot-blooded, and easily inflamed. Since Li Si would depart with Pacification Commissioner Li the following day, they behaved absurdly for the entire night once again. Zhang San swore solemnly that Li Si should wait and see—he would fiercely “ride him unconscious.” Yet after riding back and forth, the two remained evenly matched and ended up dazed together.

When Li Si rose the following morning, he had been drained completely dry. Dark circles hung beneath his colt eyes, and even his little hooves felt unsteady.

Zhang San was still fast asleep, rolled up in the blankets. Remembering the previous night’s absurdity, Li Si cautiously peeled back one corner of the quilt for a look—the little tips had been sucked until the skin broke. Dried traces of blood remained on both ripe fruits.

Feeling guilty and distressed, Li Si thought it over. Afraid the two wounds might become inflamed and ulcerated, he braced himself, found the jar of wound powder, and while Brother Xiao slept, secretly and very gently sprinkled a little medicine onto them…

Zhang San howled, “Aah!”

–

Li Gang waited beneath the city gate as the army set out. Twenty thousand troops formed several columns and streamed through several gates on the southern side of the city.

Li Si arrived late, running over hurriedly, though his steps were not as light as usual. Seeing Li Gang staring at him, he quickly saluted. “I arrived late. Please forgive me, Commissioner!”

Li Gang glanced around and asked quietly, “It is no matter. But what happened to your face? Why does it look… bitten?”

Two bleeding tiger-tooth marks were embedded in Li Si’s cheek. He lowered his eyes in embarrassment. “I bullied Brother Xiao. He was hurting and became angry.”

Li Gang: “???”

Who had bullied whom? Who was hurting?

Although what the two of them meant and imagined were not the same thing, Li Gang had not exactly misunderstood. He had inadvertently learned the truth. His resilient spirit suffered a tremendous shock and nearly ceased being resilient altogether.

–

Elder Sister and Brother-in-law, Cook Wu and her husband, Liu Wu and Chen Lu, Zhou Qi and Zhou Ba, and several villagers from Ant County all came beneath the city gate to see Li Si off. The scene was lively for a time.

Zhou Ba craned his neck and tried to meddle. “Where’s our Boss? Why didn’t he come to see Young Master off?”

His elder brother immediately dragged him away. Zhou Qi whispered, “Shh! Goodness, Boss might be hiding somewhere and secretly crying.”

–

Boss was not hiding anywhere and secretly crying. Most of the soldiers in the camp had departed, leaving everything quiet and empty. The little courtyard had run out of water, so he threw on a thin robe that left his chest exposed, held a dry flatbread between his teeth, and strolled to the public well to draw up a bucket.

Then he sat heavily on the edge of the well, used a wooden ladle to drink a large mouthful of water, and silently chewed his dry flatbread while casually looking around at the empty surroundings.

He did his utmost to make this morning pass exactly like any other—ordinary and unremarkable.

–

He remembered how Sisi had held him tightly in the little earthen house before leaving.

“Brother Xiao, I’ve actually always wanted to…”

“Wanted to do what?”

“Kiss you here… Smile first…”

Zhang San forced out a fairly bright smile. Sisi leaned closer like a shy, bashful little animal, carefully extended the tip of his tongue, and gently licked one of Zhang San’s tiger teeth.

So he had wanted to kiss his tiger tooth.

Zhang San genuinely laughed. “What is there to kiss? I bit your face just now. Didn’t you taste the blood?”

Sisi’s face flushed slightly. His eyes remained focused on Zhang San, but he did not answer. Instead, he said softly, “Brother Xiao, wait for me to return. Once I’m back, we’ll never…”

Zhang San covered his mouth. He knew Sisi wanted to say, “We’ll never be separated again,” but saying such words aloud was inauspicious. He would not allow it.

Sisi looked somewhat aggrieved. Zhang San softened his voice to coax him. “I know. I know. All right. Whatever you say is fine.”

Only then did Sisi reluctantly leave.

–

Zhang San sat alone beside the well, calmly chewing through two dry flatbreads. He then went to the drill ground, made a circuit, and took Instructor Li’s place in training the soldiers for a while. Only when it was nearly noon did he use an inspection of the defenses as an excuse to stroll alone onto the southern gate tower, pretending to glance into the distance by chance.

The army had been gone for a long time. It resembled a vast dragon winding across the empty river-valley plain, with only the faintest trace of its tail still visible.

Zhang San froze completely, staring foolishly at that dragon’s tail as though he had awakened from a beautiful dream that had lasted three months.

Now the dream had ended, and his soul had flown away with Sisi once more.

–

General Zhang’s soul was presently crossing mountains and rivers on the road.

The capital lay a thousand li south of Jinyang. Li Gang deliberately left most of the supplies and provisions behind in Jinyang. Every soldier carried his own rations and traveled with minimal baggage as the army marched rapidly south.

The war wagons were heavy and exceedingly difficult to transport. Li Gang therefore deliberately put on an obedient and diligent performance for the court. He left several thousand soldiers behind to haul them, grunting and struggling for three full days before moving one thousand wagons as far as Fenzhou. Not only had the journey taken too long, but many of the wheels were damaged. If they continued another thousand li south to the capital, it might take several more months.

Li Gang therefore submitted an urgent report to the court: the war was pressing, so he begged permission for the army to proceed first while the wagons followed slowly.

He then naturally left all the war wagons in Fenzhou to be repaired and maintained, no longer moving them. When he later led the army back north, they could be transported to Kuiyuan and enter the fighting as quickly as possible. This was a matter for later.

–

Returning to Li Si: he traveled lightly with Pacification Commissioner Li, and the army marched day and night, crossing great distances until they returned to the capital in the middle of the ninth month.

The capital’s present circumstances felt uncannily familiar.

Just as in the previous year, the Xiao Second Prince once again led an army south through Hebei Circuit. This time, most Xuan forces along the route still collapsed at the mere news of their approach or surrendered without fighting. However, Commander Zong Duo was leading troops in resistance, preventing the Xiao army from capturing several important cities, including Cizhou and Xiangzhou. Greedy for achievement and recklessly bold, the Xiao Second Prince bypassed these stubbornly resisting cities, risking having his rear cut off as he pressed straight south and once again approached the banks of the Yellow River.

The eastern Xiao army was surging forward once more and would soon reach the Yellow River. Once it crossed, the capital would lie only a short distance away. Panic again spread throughout the city, while the emperor was even more terrified. In the imperial court, the argument over whether to fight or seek peace had once more become a pot of chaotic porridge.

–

When Li Si returned to the capital, flames were rising into the sky from all four stretches of its walls.

The desolate autumn wind swept thick smoke upward like four enormous black pythons coiling between heaven and earth.

Li Si initially assumed the smoke and flames were the fires of battle from ceaseless attacks and defense. Yet when they drew closer, he discovered no sign of fighting whatsoever. The Xiao army had not yet reached the capital. Great Xuan’s own defenders had kindled those flames atop the walls.

Li Gang ordered the army to remain encamped outside the city, then hurried inside and entered the palace to seek an audience with the emperor.

Li Si walked behind Li Gang’s horse with several personal guards.

The party passed through the southern gate. Raising his head, Li Si saw what appeared to be a newly constructed “altar” atop the wall, two stories high—the source of one of the gigantic black serpents of smoke.

Blazing flames burned without pause while several figures in ritual robes danced and leapt around a brazier.

Suddenly, the sound of people kneeling spread from the distance. The defenders atop the wall lowered their sabers and swords and prostrated themselves. From afar, Li Si saw two figures in red ritual robes walking slowly along the stone steps of the wall. The man in front was tall and thin, holding his head high as he chanted loudly. The figure behind him was slight and slender, respectfully bowing his head while murmuring along.

The prostrate defenders made no sound. Silence filled the surroundings, broken only by the crackling flames and the alternating cadence of the two men’s chants.

The moment Li Si saw their builds and manner of walking, he recognized them and was slightly startled.

Li Gang also vaguely remembered them and frowned. He turned to the soldier guiding them and asked, “May I ask who those two immortal masters performing the ritual are?”

The soldier saluted. “Commissioner, they are State Preceptor Perfected Master Shen Xiao and His Highness Prince Fu. Since the Xiao army began approaching the city, they have performed sacrifices to Heaven atop the walls every day, visiting each of the four city gates in turn.”

Li Gang asked, “His Highness Prince Fu?”

The emperor had several brothers, most of whom had died young or were still children. Only one was close to the emperor’s age—his younger brother, Prince Kang. Li Gang had never heard of any “Prince Fu.”

The soldier saluted again. “It is the Duke Protector of the State, the one who possesses the Fire vein. He was newly enfeoffed as Prince Fu last month.”

At those words, Li Si’s expression grew even more astonished.

He turned and stared directly toward His Highness “Prince Fu.” Through the clouds of smoke, Qiao Shen seemed to turn his head and glance in Li Si’s direction as well. But the smoke obscured their view, and neither could see the other clearly.

Smoke curled above the wall while the “immortal fire” blazed toward the heavens. The red figures appeared and disappeared in the flames like two immortals ascending a road of clouds and climbing a ladder into heaven. In his daze, Li Si seemed to see once more the scene from several months earlier, when he had first entered the imperial palace—dreamlike and illusory, resembling the crimson celestial palaces of Shenxiao, yet also so strange and ominous.

⸻

It is said that some cats possess very stable temperaments. They appear silent, calm, and composed on the surface, while quietly suffering from stress underneath…

Don’t worry. Sisi’s little colt hooves are very fast! He’ll gallop there and hurry back!

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