Ch 97: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Elder Yu quickly caught the key point in Mu Xing’s words. He looked at him, eyes full of hunger for the unknown:
“The spirits said it was you who granted them release. Then what makes you different from them? What regret keeps you here?”

Having lived so long, Elder Yu was good at reading people. The young master looked delicate and refined, but his eyes were clear and bright, like crystal—nothing like someone bound to this world by obsession.

Mu Xing spread his hands. “I already told you—I forgot.”

“I only just woke up. When I became conscious, I already had my own awareness. As for their release…”

Mu Xing wore an innocent ‘I don’t know anything’ expression. “They came here on their own. Once they arrived, they recovered their clarity of mind. Has nothing to do with me.”

He was blunt—after all, who could force him to admit otherwise? “Maybe this courtyard is just a Feng Shui treasure spot.”

He had only said it casually, but to his surprise, Elder Yu nodded seriously. “I’ve studied this place carefully. Indeed, the layout of this mansion aligns perfectly with Daoist principles of yin-yang and the Five Elements. It may truly have something to do with that.”

Sighing, Elder Yu added, “Our ancestors left behind so much… if only life weren’t so short, I could spend it all on research.”

Then his eyes lit up as he made a request. “Young master, may I live here for a time?”

This courtyard, and the spirits within it—living relics of history! He longed to be here day and night.

Mu Xing shook his head. “No. What you see here is just illusion. In reality, this place is nothing but ruins. Not fit for living.”

Elder Yu answered without hesitation: “That’s no problem. We can bring portable modular housing. Very convenient.”

Mu Xing: “…”

For a moment, he was almost moved by the old man’s persistence.

But after a pause, he shook his head again. “Too many spirits linger here. This is an ancient ground thousands of years old, heavy with yin energy. At your age, staying long would harm your health.”

Elder Yu pressed on, unwilling to give up. “I have a medical team. If my health declines, I’ll leave.”

Mu Xing: “…No.”

Elder Yu bargained: “Then, half a day? We’ll build a house nearby. I’ll only come at night to visit. Spirits are more active at night, right?”

That was true. While spirits weren’t incapable of moving in daylight, they preferred the cool and dark. Nights were far more comfortable.

In the end, under Elder Yu’s sincere (stubborn), earnest (nagging) persistence, he won the right to visit the mansion nightly.

*

Xiang Feicheng was finally released after several days.

Of course, he had to pay a hefty fine, and was banned from many related professions.

Money wasn’t a problem. After posting online to reassure his fans of his safety, the more he recalled his past experience, the more restless he grew.

After several days of hesitation, he drove back here.

From a distance he saw that a row of houses had been built around the protected zone. Xiang circled wide, sneaking closer to the mansion.

By day, the house looked ordinary and dilapidated—aged wood, overgrown weeds, no trace of the mysterious beauty it transformed into at night.

He gently pushed open the flimsy door. The moment he stepped inside, his foot caught on a protruding stone—he stumbled and fell.

“Hiss!” Xiang climbed back up, glaring at the stone, frowning at his palm.

He had instinctively caught himself with his hand. The rough ground tore open the skin, embedding grit and pebbles into the flesh. It burned painfully.

Thankfully, after shaking it out, he found it wasn’t sprained.

He assumed it was his own carelessness, never realizing his fall had been helped along.

Inside, Mu Xing had just been preparing to chase Xiang Feicheng away with another little “lesson”—he disliked this reckless intruder disturbing the spirits’ peace.

But at that exact moment, the blood from Xiang’s scraped palm seeped into the stone beneath him.

Mu Xing’s mind jolted—suddenly, a blurred memory surfaced.

A youth in white noble robes wandered a marketplace with bright curiosity. Behind him, a tall man carried an armful of purchases.

The youth turned—it was the very face of Mu Xing’s current body.

Cheerfully, he said, “Brother Fang, this place is so interesting. Did I buy too much?”

The man’s voice was gentle. “If Ah Yu likes it, then it’s fine. I can carry all this.”

Mu Xing strained to see the man’s face, but he never turned back.

And then, nothing.

Snapping back from the memory, Mu Xing’s heart stirred uneasily. He sensed that this body’s story—and perhaps the cause of its death—was linked to that indistinct man.

Could it be that his memories were starting to return, little by little?

Or was it…

Mu Xing’s gaze slowly turned toward Xiang Feicheng, still clutching his injured hand.

Nothing in this house could escape his notice—and he had clearly seen that drop of blood.

Could it be… related to Xiang Feicheng?

Thinking further—when he awoke and regained consciousness, it had been exactly when Xiang Feicheng came to explore the mansion.

Perhaps it really was connected to him.

Mu Xing decided to run a test.

And how would he test it?

Xiang Feicheng was glancing left and right, trying to find a way deeper inside, when he suddenly heard a sound above him. Looking up, he startled a passing bird. The bird kicked off, dislodging a weathered stone from the rockery. The loose rock tumbled down—

Clatter—clatter—

It landed right on his arm. A sharp edge gouged across his bare forearm, leaving a long, deep cut.

“Damn it!” Xiang Feicheng jumped back a step.

He looked at the stone, larger than a fist. If that thing had landed on his head, he’d be flat on the ground.

He eyed the courtyard with some hesitation, starting to feel like maybe the energy here was seriously misaligned with him today.

What he didn’t notice was the thin line of blood trailing down his arm, dripping onto the ground.

Mu Xing saw something again.

Once more, it was that same youth—and the man whose face remained obscured.

The frail young boy, led by the man, was experiencing things he had never before been allowed: sneaking off for an outing in the countryside, tasting poorly grilled fish he’d cooked himself, being carefully helped onto a horse for a few rounds, running in the snow wrapped in a heavy cloak…

All the ordinary joys of life that, because of his fragile health, his family had never permitted him.

Mu Xing could see the boy’s eyes sparkling brightly, filled with unmistakable affection.

And the man was not indifferent. Their closeness had already gone far beyond that of friends.

…

Mu Xing couldn’t help wondering: was this the obsession that bound this body?

A love with this man that could never be fulfilled, ending only in tragedy?

But then—what did this have to do with Xiang Feicheng?

*

That night, when Elder Yu arrived, Mu Xing asked how their research into his background was progressing.

Elder Yu sighed helplessly. “Based on your clothing, we’ve preliminarily confirmed that you are indeed Prince Yu of the Qi dynasty. But the records about Prince Yu are simply too few.”

Mu Xing thought for a moment, then picked up a brush and swiftly sketched the figure he had seen in his visions. “I remembered a little today. In life, I must have looked like this.”

Elder Yu’s eyes lit up with joy. He accepted the paper, studying it several times before declaring firmly, “Yes, these robes—this can only be Prince Yu.”

His gaze burned as he looked at Mu Xing. “Would you be willing to gift me this precious piece?”

Mu Xing: “…Alright.”

Then, as if by chance, he added, “By the way, that young man who came here the other day—who is he? When I looked at him, I couldn’t shake the feeling he seemed… familiar. Could it be that his ancestors are somehow connected to me?”

Elder Yu froze—then his eyes gleamed. “In that case, we should investigate the Xiang family!”

And so, just after returning home, Xiang Feicheng was informed by his father that people from the archaeology department had come to borrow their family genealogy for examination.

Xiang Feicheng: ???

❣╰(⸝⸝⸝꒳⸝⸝⸝)╯❣