Encountering a Snake - Chapter 26

v2c26

 

It took three days for Ji Jiu to restore the yard to its former tidiness. The decayed doors and windows, shattered water tanks, overturned stone tables, and pitted dirt walls… Everything was quietly restored to its original state. Ji Jiu sat in the sunlight, basking in it. The sun was warm, and the breeze carried the scent of flowers. He sipped his tea, looking peaceful. It seemed as if the world was calm and perfect, beyond any criticism.

 

All the despair and sorrow, sadness and joy, were but an illusion.

 

Last year, there was a great drought in Jiangnan; the year before that, there was a locust disaster in the northwest; and the year before that, heavy rains flooded countless fields. In such times, the local gentry, together with the government, opened the granaries to relieve the disaster, barely getting by until this year when the weather had become favorable again. In these years, sending troops to war would drain resources and harm the people. When the army set out, the grain had to be supplied first. Without food, the army could not move. Therefore, both the emperor and Ji Jiu were waiting, waiting for a good year and more abundant supplies to prepare for an unprecedented war.

 

Ji Jiu yawned, rubbed his eyes, stood up, and returned to his room, sitting at his desk to open the stack of letters beside him.

 

Several of the letters had already been opened, and Ji Jiu took out the papers from them again. Most of them were military news. The few lines in the letters were mundane matters, except for one letter. Ji Jiu stared at it for a long time. It contained only two lines, but what it spoke of was not ordinary. The letter mentioned recent movements of the Xiongnu army.

 

Ji Jiu thought for a long time. The first thing he could confirm was that he had not gone to seek the enemy, but the enemy had come to him. Then, he could also confirm that since he had received this letter, the emperor must have received it as well. Lastly, Ji Jiu could not determine the emperor’s intentions—whether he wanted him to stay hidden here and wait for the final battle to arrive, or… he didn’t want him to fight at all?

 

If it were the former, Ji Jiu was confident that if the Xiongnu attacked, he could lead the troops to confront them. If it were the latter… Ji Jiu thought and thought, but still couldn’t understand why this would be the case.

 

Wasn’t it agreed upon? He would become the emperor, and he would become his great general.

 

Wasn’t it agreed upon? He would rule the world, and he would secure the realm for him.

 

Wasn’t it agreed upon?

 

Ji Jiu tossed the letter aside, unsure of what in this world was still worth trusting.

 

He could only wait, wait for the imperial edict to arrive. Actually, he wasn’t impatient. Ji Jiu always felt that if the Xiongnu attacked, this battle would still need him to lead. Coldly observing the court and the people, no one knew the Xiongnu better than he did.

 

The two years in the yellow sand were not spent in vain.

 

The sky gradually darkened, and the door was knocked. Ji Jiu stood up to open it. An old man with a wrinkled face, holding a greasy bundle and a jar of freshly brewed wine, handed them to him.

 

Ji Jiu smiled and said, “Thank you, Ah Bo. You’ve been bothering lately.”

 

The old man, called Ah Bo, quickly waved his hand and made a sound, but couldn’t speak properly.

 

Ji Jiu placed the food on the table. Ah Bo gestured to indicate he would go to work, closed the door, and retreated to the yard.

 

Ji Jiu adjusted the oil lamp a little, sat at the table, and silently ate his dinner. It was a pancake made by the farmer’s family, likely for him, with extra oil and plenty of chopped meat, spread across the table. The oil dripped along the lotus leaf’s veins. Ji Jiu wasn’t particularly hungry, but didn’t want to disappoint Ah Bo’s family’s kindness. He ate quickly, washing it down with water and wine, swallowing half of it.

 

Unable to eat the remaining half, he set it aside and filled his wine cup again, drinking it down.

 

The wine was cool, but once it hit his stomach, it warmed him, spreading warmth throughout his body. He had always had a strong tolerance for alcohol, rarely getting drunk.

 

Drinking by himself until late at night, the wind could be heard through the closed windows and doors. Ji Jiu paused, spilling a few drops of wine from his cup, which landed on his green robe.

 

Yi Mo also brought a jar of wine and placed it next to his. Two jars stood side by side, as if shoulder to shoulder.

 

Ji Jiu slowly set his cup down, looking at the two jars of wine on the table. After a while, he said, “There are no side dishes.”

 

Yi Mo sat across from him, flipped a tea bowl upside down, filled it with wine, and said, “It’s not needed.”

 

Ji Jiu smiled, nodded, and then asked, “Is there something you need?”

 

“I came to say goodbye.” Yi Mo said.

 

Something seemed to flicker in Ji Jiu’s eyes, but it was too quick for Yi Mo to catch. Perhaps only Ji Jiu himself knew what he was thinking at that moment.

 

But Ji Jiu didn’t speak. He just raised his wine cup and said lightly, “In that case, let this cup of wine be for your farewell.”

 

Yi Mo drank.

 

They didn’t speak for a long time, each pouring and drinking their own wine. Occasionally, their gazes met, but quickly parted. It was always Ji Jiu who looked away first, either to one side or the other, never wanting to meet his eyes, perhaps not wanting to, or perhaps not daring to.

 

Ji Jiu had already drunk quite a bit, so his wine jar was soon empty.

 

He shook the empty jar and said, “It’s gone.”

 

Yi Mo refilled his cup and his own, setting down the jar, which was also nearly empty, and said, “It’s divided.”

 

Ji Jiu was confident in his drinking capacity, so he didn’t care what kind of wine Yi Mo had poured for him. But after drinking three cups, Ji Jiu began to feel a little dazed. His heart raced, and he could even hear the sound of blood rushing through his veins. He rubbed his forehead and asked, “What kind of wine is this? It’s so strong.”

 

“Spring wine.” Yi Mo replied, then added, “Also called Daughter’s Red(Nu Hong). I stole it. The woman who made it was ugly and crippled, and no one wanted her. Her father brewed the spring wine, and it’s been buried for over forty years. No one would drink it, so I took it.”

 

Ji Jiu held his forehead, first glaring at him, but then he couldn’t help but chuckle lowly.

 

That laugh caused his blood to surge, and his head grew even dizzier.

 

Ji Jiu asked, “Is there more?”

 

Yi Mo picked up the wine jar and shook it. “There’s a little left.”

 

“Give it all to me.” Ji Jiu said eagerly, grabbing the wine jar and holding it close.

 

Yi Mo looked at his empty hands and sighed, “Do you want me to go dig up another jar?”

 

Normally, Ji Jiu would immediately refuse, without any hesitation. But tonight, it seemed more complicated. Ji Jiu thought for a long time and finally asked, “Did her father brew a lot?”

 

Yi Mo thought for a moment and answered firmly, “He brewed three jars.”

 

Ji Jiu responded with an “Oh” and then said, “Then I’ll take one more.” He paused, as if feeling guilty, and asked, “She won’t marry again, right?”

 

Yi Mo thought for a while before answering decisively, “Given her condition, it’s hard for her to marry.”

 

Ji Jiu relaxed.

 

After finishing the last of the wine, Ji Jiu slumped on the table, his face flushed, his breath quickened, a sign of drunkenness. His eyes were also hazy, with a wet glint.

 

He lay there for a while, then muttered, “What kind of person is Shen Qingxuan?” He was heavily intoxicated, his speech unclear. Yi Mo listened for a while before understanding what he was asking.

 

After thinking for a moment, Yi Mo said, “A bad person.”

 

Ji Jiu laughed in his drunken stupor. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but he kept laughing, tears rolling down his face, unable to stop.

 

Yi Mo leaned over to look at him for a while. “Drunk?”

 

“No.” Ji Jiu immediately replied. Drunk people always say they aren’t drunk. Yi Mo stayed silent.

 

Talking to a drunk person was always exhausting because their thoughts drifted. One moment, they were focused on one thing, the next, they were somewhere else. You never knew what they’d say next.

 

Yi Mo had encountered this problem.

 

One moment, Ji Jiu was declaring he wasn’t drunk. The next, he asked, “Why did you force me to drink?”

 

Yi Mo was about to answer when Ji Jiu jumped to another question, asking, “Who do you want me to be?”

 

Because he was drunk, Yi Mo also confessed, without thinking, directly saying: “Naturally, it’s Shen Qingxuan.”

 

Ji Jiu lifted his eyes, staring at him for a moment, then asked with a particularly innocent tone, “What about Ji Jiu then?”

 

Yi Mo hesitated for a moment, then honestly replied, “I don’t know.”

 

Hearing this, Ji Jiu suddenly reached out his hand, pointing at Yi Mo’s nose, as if he were about to curse him out. Yi Mo instinctively leaned back to avoid it, but Ji Jiu pointed at him for a while before retracting his hand, mocking him mercilessly: “Idiot.”

 

“…” Yi Mo had no idea where Ji Jiu’s thoughts had wandered off to this time.

 

Ji Jiu propped his head with the same hand that had pointed at him, drunkenly closing his eyes and asking, “Before you went to find Shen Qingxuan, did you think you’d meet someone like Ji Jiu?”

 

Yi Mo said, “I thought about it.”

 

“Then did you think about how to solve it?”

 

Yi Mo said, “I thought about it, but there’s no solution.”

 

Ji Jiu laughed in a carefree manner, as if it were funny, chuckling continuously. After laughing enough, he said again: “Idiot.” Yi Mo blinked, and Ji Jiu muttered, “You didn’t think clearly and blindly searched. Now that you’ve found him, what next? You act without any strategy, idiot.”

 

“…” Yi Mo graciously refrained from arguing.

 

“Ji Jiu became Shen Qingxuan, what should Ji Jiu do then?” Without looking at him, Ji Jiu propped his head, his mind struggling to think about this problem, muttering: “Ji Jiu entered the palace at nine, forced the old emperor down at sixteen with Chen Ming, carrying the lives of hundreds of people on his shoulders. Later, he became a general in the army, married, had children, and… promised Chen Ming to become his general and fight the Xiongnu.” After a pause, Ji Jiu suddenly slammed the table and cursed, “The emperor is a liar!”

 

Yi Mo was taken aback. “How did he deceive you?” The topic shifted again.

 

“He said to send me to fight the Xiongnu.” Ji Jiu stood up, staggered over to the desk, grabbed a pile of letters, and threw them at Yi Mo, angrily saying, “Look, the Xiongnu are almost at our doorstep, and he still wants me to stay here!”

 

Yi Mo began to open the letters to look, but Ji Jiu snatched them back and seriously said, “You’re spying on military information!” Then he shouted, “Someone, bind him! He’s a spy!”

 

Yi Mo sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

 

He stood up and grabbed Ji Jiu’s shoulder, shaking him, his voice rising, “Look clearly at who I am.”

 

Ji Jiu stopped shouting, stared at him for a while, then suddenly blurted out three words: “Old demon snake!”

 

Yi Mo: “…” At least he still recognizes me.

 

Ji Jiu pushed him away suddenly. Yi Mo, unprepared, was pushed back. Ji Jiu stood there, slightly swaying, looking at him for a while and said, “What were you doing all these years? Why didn’t you come find me when I first entered the palace? When the princes were scheming to torment us, I never saw you. What’s the point of coming now?”

 

Yi Mo said, “Would it have been useful if I found you earlier?”

 

Ji Jiu chuckled coldly: “It would have been better than now. Back then, I could still have become a carefree young master.”

 

“Yi Mo,” Ji Jiu suddenly raised his voice, shouting loudly: “Ji Jiu no longer has the chance to go back to being a carefree young master, you came too late!”

 

The quiet courtyard, disturbed by his sudden loud shout, even caused the dogs from a nearby farmhouse to bark loudly.

 

But Yi Mo stood for a moment, then said: “You could never have been a carefree young master.” Then he added, “Because you are the only son of the Ji family.”

 

Ji Jiu was stunned for a moment and asked, “Really?” Seeing Yi Mo nod, he paused again, then said, “I see.”

 

Yi Mo said, “Yes.”

 

Ji Jiu waited for a moment before saying, “Anyway, you came for Shen Qingxuan, whether Ji Jiu becomes a carefree young master has nothing to do with you?” This topic suddenly shifted again, and Ji Jiu said, suddenly feeling that his point was valid, quickly adding, “Exactly, what does it have to do with you?”

 

Yi Mo paused for a moment and replied, “For me, it makes no difference.”

 

“Nonsense.” Ji Jiu immediately retorted, speaking with conviction, “If I told you to become an immortal, why don’t you go?”

 

“But…” Yi Mo didn’t say what he was thinking, that Shen Qingxuan told him to go, but he didn’t. Ji Jiu waved his sleeve and coldly dismissed the thought, saying: “You want to treat me like Shen Qingxuan, but you’ve never listened to me. I say no, and you say yes. Is that how you treat Shen Qingxuan? In the end, you’re just using me as a tool to remember him.”

 

Even though his thoughts were jumping quickly, Yi Mo understood what Ji Jiu was saying and immediately responded: “Shen Qingxuan never said ‘no.'”

 

Ji Jiu blinked, saying: “But I’m not Shen Qingxuan.” He wore a look of innocent confusion.

 

“You are.” Yi Mo said.

 

“No.” Ji Jiu said.

 

“Yes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But I didn’t even know you ten years ago! My memory only goes back thirty years!”

 

“But… I have two hundred years of memories, and those of your past life.”

 

Ji Jiu sank like a deflated balloon, crouching down, then covering his face and sitting on the ground.

 

After a long while, he muttered, “So what should Ji Jiu do? What about Wang Jiu, Chen Jiu, Li Jiu? If they don’t treat you as well as Ji Jiu, what will you do? Keep searching?”

 

Yi Mo remained silent for a moment, walked over, and sat next to him on the ground, replying, “I don’t know.”

 

“You have to think this through.” Ji Jiu murmured, “Shen Qingxuan is dead, gone, only his bones are left. If you want to follow him to death, go. If you don’t want to, go become an immortal. There are only two paths, you can’t keep searching endlessly. Even if you find him, you’ll face a different Shen Qingxuan. Maybe he’ll hate you, maybe fear you, maybe ignore you. You’re not prepared to face a Shen Qingxuan who says ‘no’ to you.”

 

Yi Mo lowered his eyes and softly said, “Is there no other possibility?”

 

“There’s none.” Ji Jiu also replied softly. “I’ve thought about it for a long time. There isn’t. Even if you find him in a certain lifetime, at the right time and place, and you’re together again, it will only last a few decades, and then you’ll lose him. Then you’ll keep repeating this cycle.”

 

“Yi Mo,” Ji Jiu said, “My time is running out. A dying man speaks kindly, so just trust me. Go become an immortal.”

 

Yi Mo looked at him, first casually, then his gaze became serious, with a hint of scrutiny. After a long look, Yi Mo said, “Do you really want me to leave?”

 

Ji Jiu asked, “Does it matter if I stay?”

 

There was silence.

 

Yi Mo said, “Stay with me for one more night.”

 

Ji Jiu said, “Go away.”

 

Yi Mo said, “It’s Ji Jiu who stays.”

 

Ji Jiu fell silent.