The Barbarians believed in the witch doctors, and they must always find a great witch doctor for divination before doing any major things. So when Xia Xi knew that Chu Lan was going to the temple, he knew that the time of war wouldn't be too far away.
He had trouble sleeping and eating these few days, it was difficult for him to calm his restless heart. Although he knew that he was incapable of it, he hoped that there would be some miracle that would grant the two countries peace. He knew that he was too naive and that such a thing would never happen. There were suspicions and contradictions between the people, let alone between the countries? Moreover, he also knew that even if the Xia kingdom's army was strong enough, wouldn't they also want to destroy the Barbarians and swallow this land into their territory?
His heart was entangled, something from a few years ago kept drifting into his mind. He thought and thought again and again before making a decision.
The Xia believed in Buddhism, there were many Buddhist temples in the Xia kingdom, some were even larger than some public servant's mansions, and the scent of incense was strong. When it came to the Barbarian people, most of them didn't believe in Buddha, but there were still a small number of people who believed. There was a Buddhist temple in the city.
The Buddhist temple was built on the east side of the Yudu, close to the city. The monks were mostly Xia people, they knew some Barbarian. Because several monks in the temple recognised medicinal herbs and knew how to treat diseases, incense was very prosperous and their reputation was also very good. Some Barbarians who didn't believe in the Buddha would go there to sit in their free time, help sweep the floor, listen to the sutras seriously, and even help prepare vegetarian food.
After Chu Lan set out to go to the temple, Xia Xi changed into more casual clothing. Bringing only two guards and a maid, he took a carriage out of the Palace and went in the direction of the Buddhist temple. They were dressed low-key and looked like ordinary wealthy people, they weren't conspicuous as they went down the streets. Xia Xi gently lifted the corner of a curtain and saw people coming and going on the roads, some idle folks wandered around, both buying and selling, the crowd was constantly streaming, no different from usual, as if they didn't know that war would soon come.
The Barbarians were armed and combative. Ordinary people would often wear some blades on their waists. If there was a disagreement, they could fight on the streets till they broke their hands or feet. Xia Xi lowered the curtains, his heart was chaotic. Of course, he understood what his behaviour meant. Although Li Yuan¹ had agreed with him that the Barbarians had changed, he had still asked him to "warn" them in advance so that Zhangcheng could better prepare, at least let the people avoid the consequences of war. But no matter what, this still meant betrayal.
Betraying Chu Lan.
With Zhangcheng's strength, even if it was known in advance that Chu Lan was going to mobilize troops, they could last a few more days at most; they'd never be able to withstand the Barbarian cavalry. Not only Zhangcheng, but with the current situation of the Xia kingdom, they could completely occupy the entire territory of Xia in less than three to five years if they were lucky.
Xia Xi didn't want to see the scenes of continuous war. He didn't come to save Xia or Zhangcheng but hoped to save more innocent lives. His heart was battling with contradictions; he knew Chu Lan's love for him, if he knows about this then he'd definitely be extremely uncomfortable. What Xia Xi hated the most was for Chu Lan to suffer pain, especially if the source of that pain was him.
So every time the wheel of the carriage turned, his anxiety increased. Many times he wanted to ask the guards who were driving the carriage to stop and go back to the Palace, as if this had never happened. But when the words reached his mouth, he couldn't bear himself to say them.
He felt as if he was being roasted over a fire. After an unknown period of time, the carriage stopped and the guard whispered: "Your Highness, we're here."
Xia Xi got out of the carriage with the maid and looked up to see an ancient temple. The appearance of the Buddhist temple was the same as that of Xia temples, it made some of his anxiety lessen. There was a stone path in front of the temple, and there were many people who came and go; Xia folk, Barbarians, and Hu folk. Most of them didn't come to worship Buddha but came to have fun. Their faces were full of novelty. There was also a small group of people with pale complexions who came supported by others, they had come to see the doctors.
Seeing such a Buddhist temple, Xia Xi's originally nervous heart calmed a bit. He personally carried the basket, put some incense candles and other things in it, and then climbed up the steps. When he walked to the temple, he saw several monks who were seeing the ill. Xia Xi paused for a while. An older monk noticed him and had just finished talking to a patient, so he asked: "What are you looking for?" He was speaking in Chinese, as if he was certain that Xia Xi would understand. Xia Xi hadn't answered yet when the monk carefully observed Xia Xi's face and said: "Benefactor doesn't seem to have any symptoms, but it looks like you have difficulty sleeping at night. Your nights are plagued with worries and thoughts."
Xia Xi was taken aback and said, "Master is right. I... I do have something in my heart, so I came here today and wanted to come to the Buddha to solve my doubts."
The old monk said a line from a sutra² and said with a chuckle: "In that case, please come in benefactor. If you still can't solve it, this old monk can prescribe some medicine for the benefactor, you can drink it to soothe the mind."
Xia Xi quickly said: "Thank you." He hesitated for a moment, and then asked: "Where's Master Wuzhen?"
The old monk pointed in a direction and said: "Benefactor should pass through that small piece of wood to go to his residence, Qingfeng Hall."
Xia Xi thanked him again and walked into the main hall. The Buddha statue in the main hall wasn't very big, the paint was fresh, and it was obvious that it had been frequently maintained and cleaned. There weren't many people who were worshipping Buddha at the moment, there were several spare mats on the ground. Xia Xi's maid took out the incense sticks and wanted to light them for him, he gently shook his head and refused. Kneeling on the mat, he folded his hands and watched the solemn Buddha statue.
Xia Xi sincerely begged the Buddha to bless the people of the world, but he truly knew that this war needed to burn. The change of dynasties was inevitable, the common people could only suffer. When Xia Xi saw the Buddha statue, his heart was still full of confusion and hesitation. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he suddenly heard someone saying: "Go with the flow."
He didn't see the speaker or hear where the voice came from, only those words. His heart trembled, as if it had been pierced by something, he turned his head in a daze, but the two people who were worshipping had already left the main hall. After a long time, Xia Xi stood up slowly, he worshipped the Buddha statue again and walked out. He left the main hall and went down, just in time to see the old monk take out two packs of medicine, probably to treat someone else. When he saw him, he stopped him and asked: "The benefactor isn't going to see Master Wuzhen? Have you gone there?"
Xia Xi lightly shook his head and calmly said: "No need to see him, thank the Master for me."
The old monk wasn't surprised. He bowed to him, and Xia Xi returned the bow before leaving the Buddhist temple. His carriage was still parked by the side, and the guard was waiting there, but when he saw him coming, he didn't take the initiative to lift the curtains of the carriage. Xia Xi didn't notice either. He went into the carriage and raised his head, only to find that another person was sitting in the carriage.
It was Chu Lan.
The tall man sat on the carriage that wasn't very spacious, he looked cramped inside. He was wearing normal clothes, his face was calm, with a slight smile even. When he saw Xia Xi, he stretched out his hand to him.
There were thin calluses on the man's broad palms, his five fingers were slender, and every inch was strong and powerful. Xia Xi didn't know how many times he had held this hand, from the time when it was still small to now. Even every inch of his skin had been lightly and heavily stroked by this hand.
Xia Xi paused and then put his hand on top of his. Chu Lan squeezed it tightly, pulling him gently, and bringing him into his arms. His knuckles knocked on the wall of the carriage, and the carriage began to move. Chu Lan buried his head on Xia Xi's neck, inhaling vigorously, and saying with a chuckle: "Xier's body smells so good when it's stained with incense."
Xia Xi looked at him, Chu Lan was also looking at him. His smile gradually deepened, and Xia Xi also smiled. Suddenly, he pouted his mouth with obvious intentions. Xia Xi leaned over and kissed him on the lips, he said helplessly: "My King knew everything." He knew what happened years ago, and even the specific content of his conversation with Li Yuan. He even knew who Li Yuan's spy was.
And this man, who was only seventeen years old at the time, was able to pretend that he didn't know anything. He covered his emotions with jealousy, and then tossed the matter aside. In the future, he would come to test him, he set aside this trap for him in advance just waiting for him to arrive.
Xia Xi could almost foresee what would happen if he entered Qingfeng Hall. He wouldn't see Master Wuzhen; maybe this Master Wuzhen had long since disappeared or had been replaced with someone else.
Chu Lan looked down at him with a smile, he was in a very good mood and proactively kissed his lips, with a little coquettishness in his tone, "I knew that my Xi'er would choose me, he'd never betray me."
Xia Xi lowered his gaze and said, "I never thought of betraying you. My action of coming here to look for the informant was not fueled with the desire to betray you."
Chu Lan embraced him, he seemed to find the posture inconvenient, so he picked him up and placed him on his lap. He was finally satisfied after completely encapsulating him in his arms, he said, "I know, Xi'er is just kind-hearted and couldn't bear the thought of unnecessary bloodshed, right?"
Xia Xi said: "My King already knows."
Chu Lan stared at him, the nostalgia in his eyes couldn't dissipate, after a while, he said seriously: "I know you have always thought that we Barbarians are aggressive, fierce, and love to plunder. But I assure you, during this expedition, the lives and property of ordinary people won't be affected. I've issued an order, and those who violate this order will be cut immediately, no matter how much credit they have, they won't be pardoned."
Xia Xi was stunned for a moment, his voice trembled a little, seemingly coated in disbelief, "Really?"
Chu Lan nodded and said, "I want to be the ruler of Xia, I don't want to be seen as a robber. How could a ruler cheat his people? Xier, don't worry, I'm not playing with you this time."
The corners of Xia Xi's eyes slowly turned red. After a long time, he said, "Chu Lan, I... I thank you on behalf of the Xia people..." He knew that the Xia kingdom's energy was exhausted and that it was difficult for ends to meet. He also knew that Chu Lan's heart had always been good., but he couldn't get rid of his distrust for the other Barbarians, after knowing that Chu Lan had given such an order, his heart was somewhat settled.
Chu Lan looked at him with a smile, as if he hadn't seen enough and just wanted to look at him. The joy from their first time surged in his heart, he said: "Well, let's go back so that you can thank me properly."
_____
Notes:
1- Most of you have already forgotten him. He's the City General of Zhangcheng, Xia Xi's escort when he first arrived in the Barbarian country\n2- Not sure about this\n<b>_____</b>
<b>PastTimer: That's the finaleee!!!!!! The main text is finally doneeee!!! Yey! I'm going to start updating the extras sometime after (edit: extras up ahead!!!), I'm gonna have to focus on my next big project </b><b>After The System Punished me to Give Birth!!</b><b> Do check it out, it's danmei, it has mpreg, and it has a very </b><b>interesting</b><b> plotline! </b>
<b>A big, big, big, big, big thanks to everyone who has supported this story from beginning to end (I will always remember you!) and to everyone who stayed with me along the way, YOU are my inspiration! ❣️ </b>