Wen Tian tried to explain that he was not a monster, but the two peonies seemed too scared to listen. No matter what Wen Tian said, they refused to speak, trying very hard to act like ordinary peonies.
Seeing that there was no way to communicate with the two peonies, Wen Tian went outside again. There were trees planted at the door of every house: he wanted to know if all plants could talk, or if those two peonies were special.
The sun was warm outside, and the branches of the trees swayed gently with the breeze. Apart from the voices of children playing and the cries of chickens and ducks, Wen Tian didn’t hear any unusual sounds.
He went from end to end at the row of trees in the fortress, but Wen Tian didn’t hear any tree make the slightest sound.
He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that there was no problem wasn’t with him; rather, it was that the two peonies in the house may have cultivated to consciousness.
With his tense heart relaxed, Wen Tan slowly walked back. Occasionally, people passing him on the road would greet him curiously, as well as playful children tailing him from a distance, but none of them approached him.
Wen Tan took a small bench sat at the front door to bask in the sun.
He moved the two pots of unusually-quiet peonies out and placed them under the sun. Wen Tian still remembered how they had said they wanted sunlight.
Time passed slowly as he sat idle. Wen Tian felt like he had been sitting for a long time, yet the sun had only moved from the east to the center of the sky.
The men in the village had probably finished their busy work. They were walking back with their farm tools in twos and threes, occasionally making jokes and seeming to know each other very well.
Wen Tian propped his chin on his hands and looked at them carefully.
He had also done farm work in his previous life. At that time, his mother and sister had already passed away, and he had nothing. In order to survive, he went to work on the farm for ten coppers per acre. It wasn’t a lot of money, but the owner gave him breakfast and lunch. He barely managed to make ends meet.
There were many people like him who went to work on the fields for a living. Wen Tian had no ambition to live at that time and didn’t have much contact with them, but occasionally he would envy these people. Although they lived in poverty, at least they had family members to support them, and at noon, some men’s wives would come to bring them water, and the nicer ones would even bring some wild fruits. At that time, Wen Tan thought that had his mother and sister still been alive and he was working in the fields, someone would have brought him water, too.
Unconsciously, Wen Tian fell into the memories of the past again, holding his chin in a daze.
“Brother, what are you looking at?” A thin, dark child approached Wen Tian with his head tilted, curiously looking in his direction.
Wen Tian returned to his senses, smiled at him, and pointed in the direction of the canteen. “Look there; the chimney’s smoking. It’s time for lunch.”
The child stepped on his feet and looked at the cafeteria. He swallowed back his saliva, his thoughts unknown.
“Monkey, your mother is calling for you!” Another shaggy head popped up from behind the big tree and shouted to the child next to Wen Tian.
“Don’t call me monkey!” As soon as the monkey heard the voice, he jumped up like a firecracker and lunged to push the speaker to the ground. The two little shaggy-headed kids instantly grappled and fought each other.
The fight started unexpectedly. Wen Tian stared blankly at the two fighting children and tried to separate them, but the two were obviously old enemies, and Wen Tan couldn’t pull them apart at all. The monkey gained the upper hand. He pushed the other child to the ground, then scampered up a tree with agile hands and feet, and proudly made a face at the dust-covered kid.
The kid on the ground smacked his buttocks, jumped to his feet and told the monkey to come down.
The monkey made a defiant face and resumed his climbing on the big tree, even shaking the branches as he did so, causing leaves to flutter down.
“Ouch, my aging waist…”
An old voice suddenly broke in the middle of the two children’s heated exchange. Wen Tian froze for a moment, then his eyes shot to the big tree in front of them.
The big tree was still letting out exclamations about his aches and pains, but the tree next door seemed unable to stand it any longer and complained: “These two naughty kids keep on roughhousing several times a day, and their parents don’t know how to manage them!”
“Yes, yes, my leaves are almost gone because of them.” Another, somewhat more tender, voice echoed.
Wen Tian followed the source of the sound and looked over to a small sapling planted immediately below the tree on the right, as tall as a person, with only a few solitary leaves on its forked branches.
Wen Tan: “…”
It appeared that the adults not far away didn’t seem to care about the scuffling of the two children. He thought about it, fumbled in his sleeves for a while, and fished out a handful of wedding candies.
“Stop arguing, do you want some candy?” Wen Tian held the wedding candies and waved them in front of the children. As expected, the child under the tree stopped yelling and looked at the sweets wrapped in red paper with bright eyes.
“Candy!”
Wen Tian laughed, scratched his head, and gave half of the candies to him. “No, no more Fighting.”
The child happily took the candies, said thank you to this brother, and waved them proudly at the monkey on the tree. He held a handful of sweets like a treasure and ran home, shouting as he ran, “Mother, mother, I have candy!”
The monkey still on the tree was dumbfounded. He slid down a little and stared longingly at Wen Tian’s hand.
Wen Tian waved to him. His eyes lit up, and he quickly slid down the tree and stood in front of Wen Tian.
Putting the remaining candies in his hand, Wen Tian patted his head and said warmly: “Go and play, don’t be naughty again.” After thinking about it, he pointed to the big tree that had lost many leaves and said: “Trees feel pain, too.”
The monkey’s eyes widened slightly. He looked at the tree, sniffed, said “I know”, and then ran away quickly with candies in his hands.
The big tree behind him swayed, and an old voice celebrated: “They’re finally gone, my poor old waist…”
The other trees said a few words in agreement, then slowly fell silent again.
Compared to the two chattering peonies, the trees seemed to be silent most of the time.
Wen Tian’s initial shock passed, and now only his curiosity remained. He surveyed the trees in amazement. It seemed that only he could hear what they were saying, but why that was the case, he didn’t know.
He touched the longevity lock on his neck out of habit. The body of the lock was smooth and round, with a warmth that could only come from being frequently touched and played with. He couldn’t come up with any useful information even after thinking about for a long time. Wen Tian could only attribute it all to the manifestation of the gods.
He was able to return to life, so it didn’t seem so impossible for him to be able to understand flowers and plants.
Come noontime, Chu Xiangtian came over to find Wen Tian . Xiao Qiao was not here today, so he personally came over to take Wen Tian to lunch.
Wen Tian’s feelings towards Chu Xiangtian were a little complicated . Before last night, Chu Xiangtian’s image in his mind had been that of a bandit leader who wasn’t to be messed with. But after last night, it seemed to him that this man was not as vicious as he appeared. But acting very pleasant towards him didn’t seem to fit with his current position.
Although Chu Xiangtian treated him with courtesy, when it came down to it, one of them was a bandit and the other was a hostage. If given the chance to choose, Wen Tian would definitely run away as soon as he could.
Chu Xiangtian didn’t know his complicated thoughts. He had always appreciated beauty. Wen Tian was good-looking and suited his taste. When people face things they like, they couldn’t help but be more indulgent and tolerant.
“Are your injuries better?”
When he said this, Wen Tian realized that the pain on his back seemed to have decreased already. He pressed his hand on his back: there was only a slight dull pain, which was much better than yesterday when the slightest touch was agony.
“It doesn’t hurt a lot anymore.”
Chu Xiangtian nodded, and the two walked side by side towards the canteen.
On the way, Chu Xiangtian casually talked about Sifang Town. “Want to know the news about Sifang Town?”
Wen Tan turned his face slightly, a little surprised: “Can I?”
“There’s nothing that can’t be said.”
Chu Xiangtian then slowly told him about the situation in Sifang Town.
After Wen Tan was kidnapped on Xishan Road, the wedding party withdrew directly to the Wen family. Naturally, the wedding couldn’t happen. The Wen family sent someone to report to the officials. However, Sifang Town was only a small place and there were not many officers and soldiers stationed there. Although they wanted to go to West Mountain, it would be really difficult to fight against the bandits.
“I heard that your mother’s pressuring the Jiao family to go to up to West Mountain and fight bandits along with the officials of Lehe Town.”
Lehe Town and Sifang Town were on both sides of Qitian Ridge. The officers and soldiers of a single town may not be able to do anything to the Xishan Village. However, based on what Wen Tian saw of the fortress, if the forces of the two towns combined, they would probably be enough to cause substantial damage to West Mountain Fortress.
“You’re not worried?” Wen Chan looked at him in surprise. Chu Xiangtian talked about this matter unconcernedly, as if it were a joke.
Chu Xiangtian raised his eyebrows and chuckled, but his words were arrogant, “I’m not afraid of them coming. I’m afraid of them not coming.”
Wen Tian’s hands hidden in his sleeves tightened, and he once again realized that the man next to him was a real bandit leader. He took a deep breath and asked softly: “What you said yesterday, about promising to grant me one request–does that still count?”
Chu Xiangtian said: “Of course.”
Wen Tian pursed his lips and said tentatively, “Can you ask someone to bring a message to my mother?”
He had been kidnapped for two days; his mother and sister must be in a state of panic at home. Moreover, his father’s true colors had not yet been exposed; coupled with the things that have happened since he was reborn, he found that nothing overlapped with the trajectory of his previous life. He was really worried that some of the changes he caused would affect his mother and sister.
Chu Xiangtian did not hesitate. “There’s no problem with sending a message, but your mother may not believe it.”
Wen Tian froze for a moment, then recalled that he was in the bandits’ den. Even if Chu Xiangzhen sent someone to send a message to his mother, her mother wouldn’t believe it. She would probably think that he was being coerced, which would make her even more worried.
“Then your words still count, right?”
Chu Xiangtian teasingly looked at him. “You really don’t believe me this much? Then when things are done, I will personally take you home.”
He deliberately dragged the last word out, a hint of ambiguity in his words, but Wen Tian had no intention of cooperating with him. He was still thinking about his mother and sister at home. Hearing this, he shook his head and refused. “Bring me to the foot of the mountain and I’ll go back by myself.” The Western Mountain Fortress was not known as a benign group, and he didn’t want people to think that he had any association with the bandit leader.
Being rejected so completely, Chu Xiangtian clicked his tongue and said no more.
After lunch, Wen Tian went back alone. Chu Xiangtian seemed to be very busy. Someone called him halfway through the meal and he left in a hurry. Wen Tan vaguely heard the words Lehe Town and Sifang Town, and guessed it was related to the joint bandit fight he mentioned before.
Time passed in the fortress too slowly and peacefully. Wen Tian hadn’t seen Chu Xiangtian again since lunch that day. He had visited every place he could walk to in the fortress. He also found many talking flowers and plantsk, which was fine. Wen Tian pretended to sit on the grass and bask in the sun, but in fact he was secretly listening to the flowers and plants chatting.
After listening for most of the day, he found that most of the flowers and plants were talking about the climate this year and whether there was enough rain or not, but they also mentioned a lot of useful information.
For example, the flowers and plants said that many people had gone down the mountain recently and surrounded the entire mountain. They said that the people at the foot of the mountain were all carrying torches, and they feared that they would set the mountain on fire.
Wen Tian speculated that this was the arrival of officers and soldiers, and they had spent at least one night at the foot of the mountain. With such a huge force, they were probably the joint troops of Sifang Town and Lehe Town.
He stood up and brushed off the blades of grass from his body, wanting to go to Chu Xiangtian to ask about the situation.
When he returned to Xiao Qiao’s house, he found Chu Xiangtian already waiting for him.
“Why did the boss come here?” He subconsciously wanted to ask about the situation in Sifang Town but stopped himself. He’d stayed in the fortress peacefully; there was no reason for him to know about the situation outside.
Chu Xiangtian said: “Your parents are at the foot of the mountain with officers and soldiers.”
Wen Tian’s eyelids twitched and he let out a dry “oh”.
Chu Xiangtian laughed teasingly. “Are you scared?”
Wen Tan lowered his eyes and remained silent, acquiescing to his words.
“Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” Chu Xiangtian stood up and looked down at him. “But I need a small favor from you.”
“How can I help?” Wen Tian was puzzled.
Chu Xiangtian put away his smile, whispered that he was offended, and then tied Wen Tian up.
With his hands tied behind his back, Wen Tian struggled uncomfortably, looking rather flustered. “What are you doing?!”
Chu Xiangtian also untied his hair and spread it haphazardly behind his back. He inspected the results and, satisfied, he said, “You and Chang Xi should go for a walk outside, so that they won’t dare to do anything rashly.”
Wen Tian twisted his head to look at him, his heart thumping. The sliver of trust he had built towards him collapsed again. “You said you would let me go home.”
Chu Xiangtian was amused by him, and stretched out his hand to lay it on top of his head. “It seems that I’ll have to send you back to the Wen Mansion in person before you can trust me.”
“Boss.” Chang Xi came in from outside. “The officers and soldiers are still gathered below.”
“Have the men roll the trebuchet out. You take Wen Tian outside for a walk, let them see him in person, and then bring him back.”
“Okay.” Chang Xi’s face didn’t have the usual naive look. Without a smile, he looked even menacing. He nodded and led Wen Tian away.
As Chang Xi left with Wen Tian, Chu Xiangtian went to the meeting hall.
Everyone else went outside the fortress to defend against any surprise attacks by the officers and soldiers. At the moment, only Zhou Chuanqing was inside. Instead of his usual wide robe with big sleeves, he was wearing a narrow-sleeved outfit. The dull gray color was commonplace and inconspicuous.
Zhou Chuanqing updated him on the progress: “The scouts reported that at least half of the manpower over there has been redeployed.”
“Good. Are you all ready?”
Zhou Chuanqing: “I will personally lead people there this time. There will be no mistakes.”
Chu Xiangtian nodded and gripped his shoulder. “Be careful.”
After a brief conversation, Zhou Chuanqing left quickly. Chu Xiangtian put his hands behind his back, looked at the sky, and walked neither quickly nor slowly towards Chang Xi’s location.
Wen Tian followed Chang Xi out. When they arrived outside the fortress, Chang Xi changed his polite attitude, said sorry, and gave Wen Tian a hard push. Wen Tian didn’t respond, stumbling forward for a moment before he straightening up awkwardly.
Looking fierce, Chang Xi roughly shoved Wen Tian forward. When they reached the mountain pass, he pulled the rope binding Wen Tian’s hands to stop.
Further ahead of them was the entrance to the mountain path at the top of West Mountain. The top of the West Mountain was a branch of Qitian Ridge, with high terrain and steep rocks on both sides. Only the paths ahead and behind them were accessible. The road to the back of the mountain was artificially blocked, and could only be accessed by a drawbridge. The drawbridge, which was usually retracted, was the retreat route reserved for West Mountain Fortress. The path to the front mountain, on the other hand, was connected to the West Mountain Road. It was steep and narrow, making it troublesome for people above to come down, and even more troublesome for those below to go up.
The terrain was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the officers and soldiers did not dare to rush forward. The two parties could only confront each other at the mountain pass.
Chang Xi grabbed Wen Tian and stood in the middle. At a wave of his hand, someone pushed two mighty trebuchets over from behind.
The wheels of the trebuchet pressed against the ground, sending out vibrations. Wen Tian was startled and immediately struggled with all his might. “This isn’t what Chu Xiangtian said. My mother is still down there!”
The two parties were still separated, but Wen Tian still found Fu Youqin in the midst of the officers and soldiers at a glance. Earlier, he thought he was just accompanying Chu Xiangtian to put on a scene, but now they had even pushed out the trebuchets. Due to the advantage of West Mountain Fortress’s location, if the trebuchets really threw rocks down the mountain, the casualties below could only be numerous. His mother would be in danger at any time.
Startled by his sudden struggle, Chang Xi, could only grab him forcefully to prevent him from breaking away. Wen Tian mustered all his strength and kicked him, trying to take the opportunity to break free and run down, but Chang Xi was too strong to escape. He was immediately restrained.
Seeing him really struggling, Chang Xi could only explain in a low voice: “The boss had me move them out to scare them.”
——–
===Author’s Notes===
Tiantian: Chu Xiangtian is a big liar! ! QAQ
(Favorability-10000)
===Translator’s Notes===
No footnotes this time! I’m shocked. Hahahaha!
If you like this story, please consider supporting the author here.
And if you're enjoying this translation, please considering sending a tip via Ko-fi. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment