Chapter 477

Shen Lang only enforced one thing: the beggars' personal hygiene. Every day, he had strong women hold them down and scrub their bodies raw with bamboo brushes. They had to brush their teeth twice a day. Anyone who dared to urinate in a random spot would have their testicles flicked thirty times with an incredibly elastic animal sinew. And if someone dared to defecate wherever they pleased? The solution was even simpler: their rears were plugged for three days.

Ning Zheng shuddered, a chill running down his spine as he recalled the scene of their testicles being struck with the sinew. It was a truly gruesome sight. The agonizing screams of two of the beggars had been so loud they could be heard clearly from two *li* away.

“Sigh! What in the world is that scoundrel Shen Lang thinking?”

The provincial examination, just over a month away, seemed utterly hopeless. Consort Bian then gently comforted Ning Zheng.

“Zheng, my dear, it’s quite alright even if you don’t participate in the struggle for the throne. Isn’t it best to live a peaceful life, doing what you love?”

Her words revealed that she had lost all hope in Shen Lang. For a moment, Ning Zheng didn't know what to say. Consort Bian asked a eunuch.

“His Majesty? Has he not arrived yet?”

The eunuch outside replied.

“His Majesty is still attending to state affairs, reading memorials.”

Consort Bian sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of pity. The King still disliked Ning Zheng. Every time, she tried to create an opportunity for father and son to dine and talk together, but whenever Ning Zheng came to her chambers, the King would stay away, choosing to endure hunger in his study. Attending to state ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠affairs by reading memorials? What a load of nonsense!

Ning Yuanxian was not a diligent monarch to begin with. He would glance over most memorials before sending them to the Grand Secretariat, where they would be read in detail, important matters selected, and opinions attached before being sent back to him. He would rather read memorials than spend time with Ning Zheng.

After finishing his meal, Ning Zheng stood up and bid his farewell.

“I will come to see you again in a few days, Mother Consort.”

“Alright!”

Consort Bian saw him off with nothing more than a warm gaze. In her mind, there was no need for such formalities between mother and son. As expected, not even a quarter of an hour after Ning Zheng left, the King arrived at Consort Bian's chambers. Consort Bian shot the King a reproachful glance. Ning Yuanxian said.

“My apologies, my dear. I was truly swamped. I’ve been reading memorials for several hours.”

Did he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really think she wouldn't know whether he was busy or not? Just a moment ago, Ning Yuanxian had been holding that memorial for over an hour, yet he hadn't even read two hundred characters. With a helpless expression, Consort Bian served the King a few fresh dishes. She couldn't help but notice that her husband’s talent for feigning innocence was just like Shen Lang’s.

***

After his heart started beating again, Gou Duhuan remained unconscious for another three days and nights. Though he was in that state, he was not completely without perception; it was more accurate to say he was in a dreamscape. Events from his past replayed in his mind, scene by fleeting scene. Even fragmented memories from his early childhood surfaced like images in his mind. Of course, the memories from after he fled to the State of Yue and was taken in by the Zhuo Clan were much clearer and more vivid than the childhood memories he couldn't even recall before.

His days with the Zhuo Clan had not been happy. At first, he was nothing more than a lowly young servant, but when his talent in martial arts became apparent, Zhuo Guangfu adopted him as a son. However, he knew his adoptive father never truly liked him; instead, he relentlessly suppressed and exploited him. He was pressured to train in martial arts every day, but he was forbidden from learning to read. Furthermore, he was brainwashed daily, told that everything he had was given to him by the Zhuo Clan, and that he must dedicate his life to them, to bleed and die for them.

At the time, Zhuo Yizhen couldn't understand why his adoptive father forbade him from reading. He thought it was as his adoptive father said—that reading was useless, and he shouldn't waste his time on it but devote all his energy to martial arts. Later, Zhuo Yizhen realized his adoptive father wanted him to remain ignorant. His adoptive father believed that reading made one think too much, making it difficult to maintain one's innocence and purity.

Moreover, Zhuo Yizhen remembered one scene with crystal clarity. Originally, Zhuo Su'an had treated him with cold disdain, as if he were a mere slave. Then, one day, Zhuo Yizhen fell into a deep despair when his martial arts progress stalled. His adoptive father, Zhuo Guangfu, tried everything to help him break through to a higher level, but his skills remained stagnant. That was when Zhuo Su'an appeared before him like an angel, smiling beautifully and acting incredibly intimate. From that moment on, Zhuo Yizhen was completely captivated by her.

Now, he realized that Zhuo Su'an's intimacy back then had been an act. From beginning to end, she had never truly liked him, or even respected him. Zhuo Su'an had always seen him as a slave, not an adoptive brother. As he entered the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion in his dream, some scenes became clear, while others remained hazy. The Left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Faction Master was his master, but in his dream, Gou Duhuan's impression of him was very faint. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall his appearance clearly. The Left Faction Master had two disciples: one was Princess Linghan, and the other was Zhu Hongxue. He had only met Zhu Hongxue; he had never met Linghan.

However, the days he spent reading at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion came back to him in perfect clarity. Especially every scene of Teacher Zhang Yuyin hitting and scolding him was incredibly vivid, and those times were truly happy and joyful. Yes. His days at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion were that warm and happy. There was no need to pursue merit or gain, and there were no lies. Although his grades in arithmetic and classical studies were terrible, and he was scolded and beaten daily, the time spent purely learning was so enjoyable. He felt that every moment at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion was one of freedom. Moreover, during his time there, despite often training in martial arts for less than usual—sometimes not even for four hours a day—his skills improved by leaps and bounds. He progressed much faster than when he had trained arduously every day with the Zhuo Clan.

Then one day, those happy days came to an abrupt end. The Zhuo Clan was annihilated. Zhuo Yizhen had no choice but to abandon those joyful days and flee the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. He felt it was his responsibility to avenge the Zhuo Clan and protect Zhuo Su'an.

What followed were his memories as Gou Duhuan, the great bandit. He instinctively rejected all those memories in his mind. Besides, those memories were so recent that they didn't need detailed recollection; the scenes flashed by faster and faster, finally stopping at the very last one. The one where Zhuo Su'an poisoned him, stabbed him in the chest with a sword, and then kicked him into the Raging River.

“I’m such an idiot…”

After all his memories had replayed in his mind, Gou Duhuan recalled those words. He was grateful to Shen Lang for coining such a vulgar word. He truly couldn't find a more suitable word to describe himself.

‘What an idiot! So pathetic.’

The cause of all this was his blind love for Zhuo Su'an. Love really does mess with a person's head. Gou Duhuan felt as if he had been in a long dream; the past twenty years felt like a dream. Only after Zhuo Su'an stabbed him with her sword did he finally wake up.

‘Idiot! What an idiot!’

Unable to bear it any longer, Gou Duhuan reached out and struck his own head.

Thud, thud, thud.

Then, his eyes flew open, and he awoke. He found himself lying in an unfamiliar room, completely alone. Upon waking, his whole body felt refreshed. Before, his body had felt as if it were shrouded by some dark force, but now it felt filled to the brim with light. The familiar feeling he had when studying at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had returned. It was incredibly light and comfortable.

Gou Duhuan shot up and was surprised to find his body completely free of pain. For the past few years, he had been tormented by pain at every moment. The pain from his internal organs and his disfigured face was a deep-seated agony that originated from his very blood vessels, a kind of pain that was impossible to control.

The pain was as constant as breathing, so much so that he had come to accept it as normal, reaching a state where he no longer perceived the ache. But now that all the pain was gone, he felt as if he could fly. Gou Duhuan was about to open the door and go outside when he noticed a large mirror in the room. He unconsciously approached it and looked at his reflection. Then, he was completely stunned.

‘Who is this handsome man?’

Of course, Zhuo Yizhen had always been decent-looking, but he wouldn't have been called strikingly handsome. However, after his face became disfigured, he was so ugly he could startle heaven and earth and make ghosts weep. Having suddenly recovered his normal face from that state, he felt like a peerlessly handsome man. Soon, Gou Duhuan was overcome with frantic joy.

‘My face and body are back to normal? The twisted skin? The burnt-looking skin is all healed? What on earth happened? What did Shen Lang do to my body? What kind of magic does he possess?’

He knew Shen Lang had saved him. After his heartbeat and breathing returned, though he remained unconscious, he could hear the sounds around him.

“Aaaah!”

Gou Duhuan let out a sharp cry and stood before the mirror for a full quarter of an hour, gazing at his reflection. Because his face had been disfigured for so long, he had worn a twisted mask and claimed not to care, but inwardly, he harbored an immense inferiority complex. That was why he had named himself Gou Duhuan, meaning ‘one who finds joy in suffering.’

Now, his face was restored, and he was reborn. The past twenty years had truly been a nightmare, and now he had awakened from the nightmare that had tormented him.

‘I no longer owe the Zhuo Clan anything. I no longer owe Zhuo Su'an anything.’

He cheerfully pushed the door open and stepped outside. The season was already autumn, so the sun was not scorching; instead, a brilliant golden light filled the air. Some trees were beginning to shed their leaves, while others were heavy with large fruit. What a beautiful sight it was. Other than his few years at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Zhuo Yizhen had never had the time or energy to appreciate the scenery around him. Only now did he feel how beautiful the world was.

But the moment he stepped into the garden, a sight so wretched he could hardly bear to watch unfolded before him. Ten bald men were training in martial arts, all of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whom had somewhat twisted, deformed bodies.

‘But… are you guys really training in martial arts? The bows in your hands are only thirty *jin*, aren't they? Those are bows for children to practice with.’

And despite holding such light bows, not a single one of them could draw it. To draw a bow, one must straighten their back and stand tall. Yet they were all lying on the ground, unable to even stand straight, as if their inability to draw the bow was a source of great sorrow. They struggled through their training for a mere seven or eight minutes.