SINCE MO XI had put it like that, Gu Mang tried his best to avoid recalling details from before he defected. This was sometimes the way of things—after the momentary satisfaction of uncovering a secret, endless disappointment and frustration came in its wake. He wanted to enjoy his life, so it was best to remain obedient.
Mo Xi grew busier after the spring hunt in March. Overwhelmed with work, his routines disappeared and his appetite worsened. Seeing him neglect sleep and skip meals, Housekeeper Li ordered the kitchen to bring boxes of food to his desk. However, Mo Xi still often forgot to eat, or would find the food cold by the time he finally raised his head from his heap of scrolls, long after the sun had gone down.
"This happens every year around this time," Li Wei sighed. "There's no point in cajoling him. He eats cold food and drinks old tea all day—even an iron stomach wouldn't tolerate it. He's just asking to get sick."
Housekeeper Li seemed to have jinxed it: the day after he complained, Mo Xi fell ill. Never mind how ruthless Mo Xi was while at war—only the servants of Xihe Manor knew how high-maintenance he became whenever he got sick. It wasn't that he was fragile, or that he inconvenienced others, or made a big deal of his illnesses. There was a much more insufferable issue: he was picky. He kept up his usual activities like attending court and annotating papers, but his temper worsened with his discomfort, and he became even more particular about everything than usual.
When Mo Xi's stomach issues flared up again, Li Wei went to Medicine Master Jiang for a prescription, and Medicine Master Jiang lambasted him with everything he had. "He's sick again? Another stomach bug? He's seen me for this problem since he was fourteen! I take such pains to fix him up, but he couldn't care less—he starts forgetting meals or eats nothing but cold food every year when military affairs get busy! If he keeps going like this, he may as well ascend and be done with it! Maybe he doesn't mind suffering, but I certainly mind him wrecking my reputation! Get out!"
Li Wei could only nod, sweat beading on his forehead. He somehow managed to extract the prescription between bouts of Medicine Master Jiang's ranting, but was met with one further command: "Keep an eye on that lord of yours! Make sure he eats his food while it's hot and has soup before each meal! And if he doesn't listen, don't come to Jiang Manor again, it's too fucking embarrassing!"
Thus Li Wei instructed the kitchen to make soup every day to aid Mo Xi's recovery. It was at this precise moment that Mo Xi's fussiness reared its head.
On the first day, the kitchens made white radish and pork rib soup. Mo Xi wouldn't drink it. "It's too greasy."
On the second day, the kitchens made pigeon soup instead. Mo Xi refused it. "There's a weird aftertaste."
On the third day, the kitchens tried making pig liver and spinach soup. Mo Xi wouldn't touch it. "Seeing offal turns my stomach."
And so on and so forth, until the seventh day. Li Wei walked dejectedly out of Xihe-jun's study with a pot of straw mushroom and chicken soup in his hands. The master cook who had accompanied him apprehensively asked, "How did it go?"
"He didn't touch it at all; he's too busy looking at his sand table." Li Wei rolled his eyes. "He said the smell of stewed chicken makes him nauseous and he doesn't have an appetite."
Sweaty and pale, the cook felt deeply chagrined. "That's not my fault. If the lord carries on like this, his appetite will only get worse. Didn't Medicine Master Jiang say so too? Healing that stomach of his is more about nurture than medicine."
Li Wei sighed. "Yes, exactly."
Mo Xi's appetite had indeed worsened over the past few days, but he didn't pay it much mind. As long as something was edible, whether it was hot or cold didn't matter to him, even if the food in question was a rockhard bun. He'd have time to recover once this busy period was over.
While Li Wei and the cook were heaving deep sighs under the eaves, Gu Mang happened to walk past the courtyard with his arms tucked in his sleeves and the black dog Fandou at his heels. Noticing the worry creasing their faces, he asked helpfully, "What's up with you two?"
The cook gave him a scornful look. "Are you done chopping firewood? If not, get to it. Don't meddle in the business of others."
"I'm done," Gu Mang said.
The cook was about to retort when Li Wei was struck by inspiration —Gu Mang's cooking wasn't bad. Although Mo Xi hadn't offered any words of praise the last time he cooked, every plate had come back clean. They were in a dire situation, so why not fall back on their last resort? So thinking, Li Wei succinctly summarized Mo Xi's situation for Gu Mang.
"Oh…" Gu Mang glanced at the study. "No wonder his face has gotten thinner recently." He looked down and addressed the dog. "Fandou, soon he'll be even skinner than you."
Fandou barked twice, as though he resented the comparison.
Li Wei sighed again. "We've already tried anything and everything to convince him to eat. We've offered every kind of exotic delicacy, but the lord just never has an appetite, and he's never in the mood to eat either." He carefully watched Gu Mang's face as he said his next words: "Why don't you try?"
"This guy?" The cook interrupted, dripping disdain. "What can he possibly do?"
But Gu Mang nodded. "He can't keep starving himself. I'll give it a try."
Gu Mang planned to cook fish, so he needed the plumpest, freshest fish. Li Wei pointed him toward Peach Blossom Lake on the eastern outskirts of the capital. Not only was the lake flourishing with spiritual energy, which was good for cultivation, but the fish within it were known to be deliciously tender. So that afternoon, with his fishing gear in tow, a net strapped to his back, and his black dog at his heels, Gu Mang went to the city outskirts to fish.
Peach Blossom Lake wasn't difficult to find. When Gu Mang arrived, he found it profoundly quiet and calm. Due to the endless flow of spiritenergy veins, peach-blossom petals fluttered all year round, dyeing everything between the heavens and earth the rosy pink of clouds at sunset. Numerous craggy boulders protruded from the lake's surface, and though it wasn't large, it had a great many hidden nooks and crannies. Pavilions and walkways lined its shores, and every errant breeze sent flowers drifting across the steps.
"Nice place," Gu Mang said. "No wonder Li Wei said it was good for baths." He turned to the dog.
"Fandou, do you want to take one?" Fandou excitedly wagged his tail and leapt into the water like an arrow loosed from a bow.
It was yet late spring, but the days were already warm with the sun shining so brightly. Gu Mang had planned to disguise himself with a hat and cloak, but since he was alone and it would be difficult to catch fish while bundled up, he took off his shoes, socks, and cloak, then rolled up his pants to wade into the clear lake water.
"Arf!" Fandou barked loudly in excitement. He gamboled and scampered around Gu Mang in the shallows, splashing water everywhere.
Gu Mang brought a finger to his lips. "Behave," he warned the dog. "Go catch a fish for the poor princess Mo Xi."
Fandou barked and yelped as he cavorted about with even greater enthusiasm, chasing all of the fish from the shallows into the depths. Gu Mang was rendered speechless.
"Arf arf arf!"
"If you keep making a nuisance of yourself, I'll make you into dog soup, see if I don't."
A gentle approach was useless. Fandou fell in line as soon as Gu Mang got tough, the way he remembered he used to be. Fandou whimpered and tucked his tail between his legs, trembling with fear as he scrambled ashore. He vigorously shook the water from his fur and sat on the banks to soak up the sunlight, tongue lolling and beady eyes fixed on Gu Mang.
Gu Mang's martial arts had recovered a great deal, but his spiritual energy could never return to its level at the peak of his abilities. Nonetheless, thanks to his improved martial skills, he caught three plump and meaty grass carp in no time at all.
Grass carp were big, but they weren't the best for cooking. After some consideration, Gu Mang took up his net and made his way around some rocks that loomed out of the water to look for fish in other parts of Peach Blossom Lake. His mind could be quite sharp sometimes, but it could be dull indeed at others. For example, at this moment, his thoughts turned sluggish and simple-minded. He yelled, "Fish! Fish! C'mere fishies," splashing through the water at every step. Even the fish in the distance vanished when they heard his clumsy movements. Gu Mang brushed away some green vines dangling over the rocky crags and turned a corner. "Fish, come quick—"
"Who's there?"
The voice that called out was as beautiful as Kunshan jade and richly melodious, yet with a vicious note of threat. Gu Mang jumped in fright and turned unthinking to look toward the speaker. He saw a flash of golden light the instant before a spell exploded on the water's surface, inches from his knees.
Amid the haze of its thunderous splash, a white-clad silhouette soared over the waterfall. Beads of water flew up to join the crashing cascade. When the pillar of water thrown up by the spell finally dispersed, Gu Mang, still coughing, heard that crisp, menacing voice say: "Look up."
Gu Mang mopped the water from his face and squinted in the direction of the speaker. If the memories he'd regained to this point were anything to go by, people who flew into an embarrassed rage upon being caught bathing in the depths of a peach-blossom pool were generally great beauties. Gu Mang's strong and innate sense of chivalry hadn't diminished a jot, so he hastily said, "Miss, I'm so sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, I just came to catch fi—"
Before he could finish the word, a stream of water shot out and slapped him squarely across the face. Caught off guard, Gu Mang was knocked straight back into the lake by the force of that purported-beauty's stunning blow. After swallowing several mouthfuls of lake water, he managed to stagger upright once more.
The beauty's voice was bone-chillingly cold. "Open your damn eyes and take a good look at whom you are speaking to."
I do want to look, Gu Mang thought, but it's inappropriate for men and women to get too close; it's better if I don't. But then he thought, No— you're the one who invited me to take a look, so I'll seem guilty if I don't. Only then did he wonder, Huh? Why does this voice…sound familiar?
Bracing himself against the wet stone wall, Gu Mang shook his dripping head much like Fandou. Then he opened his clear blue eyes and looked toward the boulder outside the waterfall's cave.
He was rendered wholly speechless. The speaker was beautiful to be sure, but unfortunately, it was a man—and not only that, one Gu Mang knew.
Murong Chuyi.
This man had the same hang-up as Mo Xi: he didn't like to fully disrobe when bathing and preferred to enter the water wearing a bathrobe. By now, he had already draped a second white robe over his sodden garment. Beneath his sharp, inky brows, his phoenix eyes were lowered, his gaze colder than the waters of Peach Blossom Lake.
After a few beats of silence, Gu Mang cupped his hands in greeting. "Sorry, Dage. Pardon me."
"Hold it," Murong Chuyi said, tone frosty.
"…Is there something else, Dage?"
Murong Chuyi raised a hand and tapped a finger upon his clothes. A fiery glow sprang to life at the tip of his pale, slender finger. Under this brilliant light, his wet clothes were dried in a flash. Murong Chuyi sat on a boulder and shot Gu Mang a glance. "Come here."
"We're both men here, and it was just a look. No one got taken advantage of." Gu Mang faltered. "If you're upset, why don't I… Why don't I…" After racking his brains, Gu Mang tentatively offered, "Why don't I strip and let you see too?"
Murong Chuyi glared with his phoenix eyes. "Who wants to see you? Come here."
Gu Mang had little choice but to do as he was bid. His qinggong wasn't as good as Murong Chuyi's, so he was compelled to climb the tall and slippery stone platform on all fours. He slipped a couple times before pathetically clambering upward. At no point during this process did Murong Chuyi offer him a hand.
Once he reached the top, he approached Murong Chuyi. It wasn't until he was up close that Gu Mang noted how pale Murong Chuyi's face was—even his lips were bloodless. Gu Mang couldn't help but stare. "What happened to you?"
Murong Chuyi closed his eyes. "Go—go to Jiang Manor."
Gu Mang was utterly lost. "Why would I go to Jiang Manor?"
"Ask Jiang Fuli for some heartbalm. Bring it back to me."
Not even a will you? or please—Gu Mang took this to mean that the errand was another one of his chores. He nodded once and turned to leave. It was only after walking quite a distance that the other shoe dropped, and he turned in puzzlement. "Wait a minute—why do you want me to do this?"
"Because you happened to pass by," Murong Chuyi replied.
This man spoke like those crazy Daoists in the stories who would say upon bumping into a youthful warrior, "Young friend, fate has brought us together. Come to the mountains with me and learn cultivation," before dragging the hapless youth with them over all protestations. Gu Mang sulked. "It's not like I owe you anything, and you just hit me. Why should I help you?"
Light sparked at Murong Chuyi's fingertips. His expression was ferocious, as if he was about to lash out with another ruthless strike. He glared icily. "Are you going or not?"
Gu Mang shook his head. "A true man can be corrupted by neither wealth nor power—huh, what's wrong?"
The light at Murong Chuyi's fingertips had winked out. Murong Chuyi lowered his head and held his sleeve to his mouth as he coughed up bloody spittle.
"You're sick?" Gu Mang exclaimed.
Murong Chuyi was obviously struggling to maintain his poise, but when he tried to speak again, he choked on a great mouthful of dark blood. "You… You must not tell Yue Manor…" Pausing, he panted a few times, eyes flashing with stubbornness. "That I…was cultivating here…"
"I must not tell Yue Manor?"
Murong Chuyi was thoroughly weakened, but his expression and bearing were still as keen as ever. "Never," he gasped.
Gu Mang was silent.
"Promise me."
Gu Mang seemed to be stupefied by this man's imperious air. His head moved to nod before he realized he was doing it.
The second Gu Mang gave his assent, Murong Chuyi collapsed like a bow drawn too taut, his willpower dissolving the moment he had Gu Mang's word. Eyes fluttering shut, he crumpled atop the damp, frigid boulder and passed out cold.
Speechless, Gu Mang stared blankly at him. After a long while, he bent down and prodded at Murong Chuyi's cheek. His pale, thin visage was cool as stone to the touch, unnerving yet pitiable in a way that was difficult to describe.
Gu Mang swallowed nervously. "I'll go get you medicine right now, okay? Don't—don't just faint like that, bro."