Ch 36: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

After settling the Marquis’s household’s affairs, Mu Xing returned to Dazhuang Village and lived a peaceful life.

He often thought of Ah Yue.

Not just Mu Xing—the family too would mention him from time to time.

“That child… it’s been so long, and still no word has come back.” The whole family worried endlessly.

After all, Ah Yue was at war. Even though Mu Xing had reassured them over and over, saying Ah Yue was highly skilled and nothing would happen, they still couldn’t shake their fear.

The fighting against the Beizhai dragged on so tensely that even a remote place like Dazhuang Village could feel the strain.

The court had forcibly requisitioned grain several times, and the common people’s lives were becoming harder.

Occasionally, when Mu Jiawang returned from town, his face would be clouded with worry.

Later came rumors that the court was going to surrender, cede land, and make peace. Many families living in the north packed up and began to move away.

Mu Xing grew ever more anxious about Ah Yue. He thought of that strange, seemingly supernatural light orb—but in this critical moment, it was completely unreliable.

It simply stopped appearing.

Until that day.

Dazhuang Village suddenly became lively. The village chief went around beating a gong.

Everyone learned the news: the court had defeated Beizhai!

The very air seemed to brighten with joy.

Before the usual hour when shops closed, Mu Dazhu and Mu Jiawang came home beaming.

“I passed by the teahouse and heard people say there’s a young general called Mu Yue, brave beyond compare, who captured the Beizhai king alive and made great contributions,” Mu Dazhu said, his face flushed red with excitement. “That name… could it be our Ah Yue?”

The whole family was thrilled. Grandma Mu, her hair completely white now, still spoke with vigor: “I’ve always said Ah Yue looked like someone destined for great things.”

Zhang shi forced herself to stay calm: “Don’t get too excited. What if it isn’t him? Let’s not go out spreading it.”

“I’d bet it is!” Grandma Mu chuckled. “Of course we won’t say it outside. We can just be happy behind closed doors.”

With the war over, the Mus waited for Ah Yue to return home.

But half a year passed, and still no word came.

Mu Dazhu went to the county office to inquire, but there was no record of such a person.

The family’s joy and anticipation turned to worry. Mu Xing even saw Zhang shi quietly weeping in secret.

He overheard Zhang shi and Mu Dazhu speaking softly:

“…We don’t expect Ah Yue to gain high rank or great office. As long as he’s safe, that’s enough. But how come there’s still no news from the child?”

That evening at dinner, Mu Xing said, “I heard the court will be granting titles to meritorious generals. Tomorrow I’ll set out for the capital to check.”

Mu Jiawang immediately said, “I’ll go.”

Mu Jiafeng spoke up too: “Sister-in-law is pregnant. Let me go.”

Mu Xing said, “I—”

The whole family looked at him: “You are not allowed to go!”

Mu Xing: “…”

He understood what they meant, and tried to defend himself: “My health is fine—I haven’t fallen sick in years. And I’m strong, Third Brother, you know that.”

But Mu Jiafeng cut him off flatly: “No. The travel is exhausting. I’ll go.”

Mu Xing had no choice but to secretly decide he would slip away the next day to look for Ah Yue himself.

But the next day, none of the Mu family got the chance to leave.

Before dawn, Mu Xing was jolted awake by the sound of neat, rhythmic hoofbeats outside.

Most of Dazhuang Village was still fast asleep, but Mu Xing focused his senses—it sounded like at least a hundred riders, and they’d reach the village within a quarter hour.

So many people coming to Dazhuang Village—what for?

He dressed quietly and perched in the great old tree at the village entrance.

Soon, he saw a dark mass of figures charging toward them in the distance.

Mu Xing watched calmly, but resolved that if they came with ill intent, he would find a way to protect the villagers.

But in the next moment, his eyes widened—the leading rider looked… familiar?

Ah Yue gazed ahead, his heart pounding with excitement.

It had been five full years since he last returned.

He hadn’t dared reveal even the slightest connection to the Mu family—he couldn’t risk implicating them if his plans failed.

For five years, he had hidden in the Northwestern Army, gathered his father’s old subordinates, and quietly built up power.

Afraid that failure would doom the Mus, he hadn’t dared send even one letter. Everyone around him thought he was an orphan.

In a sense, he truly was. The Qin clan of his mother’s line—all three branches—had been slaughtered by that dog of an emperor.

Ahead, Mu Village lay peaceful in the dim morning light. Ah Yue’s heart softened—no matter how the world outside changed, this place remained a pure land.

He was just about to tug the reins and tell his men to halt outside the village when something suddenly flew down at him from above.

Startled, his attendant cried out, “Young master, look out!”

Ah Yue’s hand shot up, his whip coiling around the strange object. He was about to fling it away when a glance revealed what it was.

A half-ripe apple, still tinged with green.

Ah Yue’s instincts flared. He jerked his head up.

Atop the old tree at the village entrance, on one of its ancient branches, sat a man in blue.

The morning light had barely broken. The world around them was hushed and misty. The pale, beautiful figure in blue, sitting lightly upon the branch, looked like some spirit from a strange tale, a creature that could bewitch the heart.

Ah Yue froze, staring blankly at him.

His attendant, too, was momentarily stunned. Then he came to his senses and yanked out his blade. “Who are you?”

Before that man could answer, he heard his usually taciturn young master cry out joyfully—

“Shixiong!”

Ah Yue dismounted, looked up at the man in the tree, and said with clear delight, “Shixiong, why are you here? Did you know I was coming back? It’s been five years, and you look even more impressive now. Have you been well?”

His attendant froze, not sure whether to be more surprised that the young master had a shixiong, or that the young master could talk so much at once.

Under Ah Yue’s concerned gaze, Mu Xing leapt lightly down from the tree and said, “I was asleep, you woke me with all that noise.”

Ah Yue suddenly realized—his shixiong’s internal strength was so profound, there was no way their group of mounted riders could have slipped past his notice.

He said apologetically, “I disturbed your rest, Shixiong. It was my fault.”

Mu Xing’s response was to raise his hand and pull him into a hug, chuckling. “Still putting on false courtesy with me, are you?”

He glanced at the people behind Ah Yue. “And these are?”

But Ah Yue only frowned slightly at the thin clothes Mu Xing wore. “The morning air is heavy with chill. Shixiong should take care of his health. At least wear a cloak.”

Then, with a bright smile, he added, “Let’s go home first. Uncle and Aunt must be awake by now. I’ll introduce them to you later.”

He ordered his men to wait outside the village, then followed Mu Xing back toward the Mu household.

The attendants exchanged glances. One asked, “Who was that? Do any of you know?”

The whole group shook their heads in unison.

By the time the two reached home, the family was already up.

Grandma Mu was sweeping the courtyard. She was old, but couldn’t sit idle—her hands always needed something to do.

Seeing the two walk in shoulder to shoulder, she blinked in surprise at Mu Xing. “Xiaobao, why are you up so early today?”

Her gaze shifted to the young man beside him. He looked vaguely familiar. After a few heartbeats, her eyes widened. “Ah Yue?”

She hurried toward them. “Ah Yue, is it really you?”

Ah Yue rushed forward to support her. “Grandma, it’s me. It’s Ah Yue. I’m home.”

Her eyes reddened. She gave him a light slap. “You child, not even one letter all these years. Do you know how worried we’ve been?”

Then she raised her voice and called out, “Dazhu! Xiulang! Ah Yue’s back!”

In a clamor, the whole Mu family poured out.

Ah Yue was surrounded, peppered with questions. Zhang shi was so overjoyed she nearly lost her composure. “You must have traveled all night? Are you tired? Hungry? I’ll go steam some buns.”

After breakfast together, Ah Yue suddenly stood, then dropped to his knees. Solemnly, he knocked his head three times each to Grandma Mu, Mu Dazhu, and Zhang shi.

“I have hidden something from you all,” he said in a deep voice. “That man who brought me back back then—he was not my father. We weren’t wandering because of disaster.”

The Mus exchanged glances. Grandma Mu said softly, “Good child, get up first. Whatever it is, we can talk it through.”

But Ah Yue remained kneeling, his voice low. “My true name is Qin Shuo, childhood name Ah Yue. I am the youngest son of Marquis Weiwu, Qin Zhen. Uncle Tingfeng was a household guard of the Qin family. I am the only survivor of the Qin clan. That year… I was fleeing for my life.”

“Back then, the court falsely accused my father of colluding with the Beizhai. The three branches of the Qin clan were exterminated. Uncle Tingfeng exchanged his own son’s life for mine, letting me live.”

“I dared not tell anyone my true identity, for fear of implicating you.”

The Mus were stunned, and even Mu Xing froze.

The name Marquis Weiwu rang a faint bell. He remembered that many years ago, his master had said that though the court was chaotic and traitors rampant, there was still one Marquis Weiwu who was a true hero.

But living secluded in Dazhuang Village, Mu Xing hadn’t known that this same Marquis Weiwu had been executed with his entire clan—nor that Ah Yue was his son.

When Ah Yue finished speaking, he lowered his head in silence. He didn’t even know what he was waiting for.

With such a background, having lived in the Mu household all these years—if his identity had been exposed, the entire Mu family would have been dragged down.

But instead, a pair of pale, slender hands reached out and lifted him up. Weak as they looked, they were steady and warm.

He met Mu Xing’s gaze, full of guilt.

Mu Xing’s voice carried a note of sorrow. “Master once mentioned Marquis Weiwu’s household. He said your father was a remarkable hero. If I had asked a little more back then, if Master had known sooner, perhaps he might have helped—and maybe you wouldn’t now be left without a single blood relative.”

Zhang shi too gazed at him with pity. “Silly child, it’s all long past. Why speak of it now? I always knew you carried secrets, but I never imagined such a tragic history. All these years, you bore the burden alone—how hard that must have been.”

The man who’d brought him back then had clearly been wounded by blades, but Mu Dazhu and Zhang shi had asked no questions. They had simply taken in the little boy and raised him.

Since they had chosen not to ask then, there was even less reason to hold it against him now.

Only Grandma Mu looked worried. “Then… should we pack up and move away? I hear Ah Yue made great military merit on the battlefield. If your identity is exposed, what will we do?”

Ah Yue’s heart finally settled at their reactions.

At her words, he suddenly remembered another matter. “Don’t worry, Grandma. No one can harm me now. I was so busy catching up, I forgot to tell you something.”

His tone was calm, almost casual, as if he were speaking of some trivial thing:

“This time, I rallied my father’s old Northwestern troops. Now, the army is already at the gates of Huayang City.”

“This world… is about to bear the surname Qin again.”

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