After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 35

Zhou Xun was burned when he was ten years old.

That year, he was ten, Zhou Cai was thirteen, and the youngest brother, Zhou Xiao, was seven. The Zhou family gathering was full of distinguished guests, but he was the one who remained unnoticed in the corner.

Throughout the gathering, he remained silent, only leaving after the meal. Little did he know trouble would find him even when he sought none.

The troublemaker was none other than Zhou Cai, his three-year-younger legitimate brother. The reason for their quarrel was trivial and childish. Zhou Xiao idolized his elder brother to the point where no one was allowed to “not idolize” him. During an argument, Zhou Xiao, angered, pushed Zhou Xun, who stumbled into a maidservant carrying hot water, causing it to spill. His right arm ended up submerged in the hot water, leaving behind a scar.

Afterwards, Zhou Xiao was lightly scolded, while Zhou Xun, with his injured arm bandaged, spent a winter in his own courtyard.

His mother said he needed to “rest” and instructed people not to disturb him.

In reality, it was a kind of “house arrest” in disguise.

However, Zhou Xun’s life wasn’t as bleak as his mother imagined. In fact, when he recalled that period now, he considered it one of the few peaceful days he had ever experienced—quiet and pleasant.

All because of a little dog.

It was unclear where the little dog came from. The Zhou family was considered a wealthy household in Jiangzhou, with all kinds of bustling activities. Yet this little dog, with its lack of discernment, always ran into Zhou Xun’s courtyard, ignoring the better scenery and food in other courtyards.

The dog had soft yellow fur, with white fur on its belly, neck, and under its face, resembling a fox but much more naive and cheerful. It first appeared at Zhou Xun’s feet when he almost stepped on the furry thing one night, startling him with a small cry.

The dog didn’t come often, maybe only a few times a month. But they eventually became good companions. The dog was not shy and was very friendly. Zhou Xun cautiously touched its fluffy belly with his good left hand, and the dog would lean in affectionately for more. When he read, the dog would squat beside him, rubbing against him whenever he glanced over, wagging its tail cleverly behind him.

The dog didn’t come often, but when it did, it always brought him various small things: sometimes a bamboo dragonfly, sometimes a swallow kite from who knows where. Every time it brought something, it would look pleased with itself, raising its head and wagging its tail, as if waiting for his praise.

Even the dog’s face would show a childlike expression of appreciation. Zhou Xun couldn’t help but chuckle as he crouched down to rub its chin. The dog always seemed happy, willingly offering its chin for him to pet.

Once, when Zhou’s brothers wanted to pick a fight with him in the evening, they inexplicably slipped on the ice outside, and Zhou Xiao even ended up with a broken bone. The cause remained unknown, but whenever Zhou Xun saw the little dog lying beside him one day, asleep on his lap, he suspected that the clever little furball had something to do with it.

However, there was one strange thing about the dog. Despite enjoying their contact, one snowy day, when the dog came in covered in snow, its fur stiffened and body freezing, Zhou Xun, feeling sorry for it, tried to hold it close to warm it up, only for the frozen dog to react as if burned by a hot iron the moment he touched it, fleeing as if flying out of his arms.

Outside the window, the world was icy and silent. He spent many cold days with this occasional warm yellow furball. As winter approached, the dog slept more and came less often. Eventually, it seemed to travel across the icy world just to come into his room, climb onto his lap, and sleep beside him, as if only to rest by his side.

In March, when spring blossomed in Jiangzhou, Zhou Xun’s hand had healed completely, leaving only a faint scar. The little dog never came back.

Now, as he looked at the red scar on his arm, the only person he could think of related to it, apart from his family, was the little dog.

So when the emperor said this scar was caused by him… it was simply…

Impossible.

He looked at the emperor, who seemed to be trembling all over under his gaze. The emperor forced a smile and said, “I, I mean, this scar, actually…”

The usually cheerful and sunny emperor was now hesitating.

Zhou Xun looked at the scar on his arm.

If it were someone else, perhaps, with the example of the Fifth Prince before him, he might have once again thought of himself as a substitute for someone else, only used as a substitute for someone else.

A substitute for someone with a scar here.

But even though Zhou Xun was young, sensitive, and had experienced storms and even desired self-destruction, no longer believing in anyone…

When he looked into the emperor’s eyes, whether it was true or false, he could still tell.

No one would treat another person kindly just because they resembled someone else. There were no two identical people in the world. If one treated another person as a substitute for someone else and continued to be good to them, they would only discover their differences during their time together, leading to increasing disappointment and conflicts. In the end, what they could get would only be resentment from unfulfilled hopes, not genuine friendship.

Zhou Xun believed that the emperor was not a despicable person. Regardless of how they met, the emperor would not… be like the Fifth Prince.

It was a sense of security.

He had finally taken a step out of the past, and he didn’t want to go back to discovering he was a substitute for someone else loved by the emperor.

He wanted to believe.

He wanted to trust.

And…

As memories of their past interactions flashed through Zhou Xun’s mind, he looked at the emperor’s nervous profile and suddenly remembered the words the emperor had confessed after getting drunk.

“I am not from here, I come from another place!”

“I am a descendant of Yan and Huang! The heir of the dragon!”

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor was not of this world; he was a celestial being who abruptly descended upon this era, into the mortal realm, for reasons unknown. If that was the case…

Zhou Xun’s finger twitched.

A ridiculous idea emerged in his mind.

Could it be that the emperor and he… had a connection from their past lives?

Seeing Zhou Xun remain silent for a long time, the emperor, feeling uneasy, rubbed his nose and avoided meeting his gaze.

Today, Zhou Xun wore a deep blue outer garment, which accentuated his fair skin even more. He had been well taken care of in the palace for half a month, and since he wasn’t particularly concerned about his appearance, he didn’t notice the change in his appearance or how he was staring directly at the emperor…

Actually making the emperor not only nervous about the secret being exposed but also hiding another layer of nervousness.

“In fact…” the emperor avoided his eyes, showing a pained and troubled expression. “Actually, between you and me…”

“The emperor and I, had a connection in our past lives?” Zhou Xun tentatively asked.

“Holy shit!!!” Before he could finish speaking, the emperor leaped up from his chair as if he were about to be launched into the sky alongside the sun, “How did you know!!”

Zhou Xun: …

He actually guessed it right!

Absurd, panicky, confused, excited… Zhou Xun felt just as many emotions as the emperor did at this moment.

The matter of reincarnation, was it actually real?

Did he and the emperor… really have a relationship in their past lives? Then, was this scar… also brought about by his destiny?

No, if it was just a scar, it would be too detailed. Did the emperor say that this scar was caused by him because when the emperor was in the heavens… he had seen his fate?

Fate, destiny… the Book of Life and Death, the Lord of Fate…

Did the emperor, when he was in the heavens, have a connection with the celestial lord who governed the destinies of mortals?

But then… why did he come to seek him out? And why did he say he wanted to remove this scar for him…

“You, you actually figured it out! How… how are you so clever, holy shit, I…” The emperor looked at him in horror, gaping, “How much have you figured out?”

Before Zhou Xun could speak, the voice of Xiao Li, the palace eunuch, came from the door, announcing: “The Second Young Master of the Chu Family is here.”

The Second Young Master of the Chu family was named Chu Yunkuo and was known as a “playboy” in the capital. This designation needed to be qualified because Chu Yunkuo’s playboy lifestyle was different from that of most people.

As the son of the Imperial Merchant, his family was extremely wealthy. However, he did not love wives and concubines, rare treasures, or luxury goods. The only thing this son of wealth, raised amidst gold and jade, loved and was willing to spend money on, was the oddities and curiosities from around the world, the terrain and landscapes of various bordering countries, and exploring adventures when traveling.

Unfortunately, his hobbies were not recognized by the mainstream in the present era, and his family was worried sick about him. Although the Chu family was an imperial merchant, there was still the concept of “scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant” from ancient times, with scholars being the highest class and merchants being the lowest. Despite having a household full of gold and jade, the Chu family dreamed that their descendants could pass the imperial examination, become officials, and elevate the family’s “status.”

This was also why Zhou Cai always secretly felt superior to him when walking in front of him. Regardless of how wealthy and influential the Chu family was, they were still a bunch of businessmen who only cared about money in the end, right?

Zhou Cai himself was a vain person, and he always felt inferior to Chu Yunkuo because of his own high self-esteem. He always felt that people like him deserved the best things, and in every aspect, others should not be taller than him.

He couldn’t surpass the Chu family in other aspects, so he could only seek superiority in the status of “scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant.”

However, recently, for some reason, after the emperor unexpectedly met with Chu Yunkuo, he suddenly showed a surprising interest in his ambitions. After chatting for a long time, the emperor seemed very interested in his hobbies and even asked him to come to the palace for a detailed discussion every few days. Therefore, today, Chu Yunkuo brought the jade-carved plum blossoms he had just acquired a few days ago to the palace to discuss this so-called “Silk Road.” 

However…

The moment he stepped into the study, Chu Yunkuo blinked at the bizarre scene before him, nearly dropping his jaw in shock.