Chapter 405: The Monarch Yan in the Hearts of the People

On a winding forest path, the gaunt and sallow-faced boy named Blaze Three walked slowly. The county town he was headed to was no more than one li away, and he deliberately slowed his pace to better mimic the mannerisms of a refugee.

Shua! Shua!

Suddenly, the sound of grass being cut came from the side.

The boy, his eyes dull and lifeless, looked in the direction of the sound and saw a child, about ten years old, holding a wooden sword and slashing at the overgrown weeds in the woods.

“Someone’s here—should I go ask him something?” one of the Blaze Bugs whispered.

“Shut up.”

The skinny boy scolded under his breath and replied, “What could a child possibly know? We should at least find an adult.”

“And another thing—stop speaking out of turn. You’ll scare the commoners!”

After giving the necessary warning as the group’s “mouth,” Blaze Three resumed walking.

But before he could take more than a few steps, he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

Moments later, the very child who had been hacking at the weeds ran up to him.

Just as Blaze Three was wondering what was going on, the boy with the wooden sword fumbled inside his collar, pulled out a palm-sized flatbread, and held it out to him. “Eat.”

Eat?

The frail boy froze, instinctively reaching out to accept the cake. “You…”

Before he could finish, the child turned to leave in haste. As he passed by, Blaze Three heard the distinct growl of the boy’s stomach.

He’s starving too… yet he still gave me the bread?

Baffled, Blaze Three quickened his steps to catch up, calling out, “The bread—why are you giving me the bread?”

Rustle…

The boy halted, turned his head slightly, and said, “Go ahead and eat. You’re so skinny you’re all skin and bones. Don’t starve to death.”

Hearing this, Blaze Three said urgently, “But I heard your stomach growl. Aren’t you hungry too?”

“I am—but I won’t starve to death.” The child spoke with a maturity far beyond his years. “That’s what Monarch Yan did too. That day, he gave me a bread just like this and said the same thing… Now I’m giving you this bread. It brings me one step closer to him…”

With those words, the boy with the wooden sword took off running, leaving behind only the small, determined silhouette of his back.

Seeing this, Blaze Three didn’t pursue him. Instead, he looked down at the bread in his hand and murmured, “Maybe there’s no need to go to the city anymore. This child alone proves that Yan Wuyong treats the people with great kindness…”

“There really is no need,” another Blaze Bug replied. “But aren’t you going to give the bread back? You’re not actually starving.”

“Give it back? No way. It’s a token of goodwill. If the kid holds onto that sentiment, he’ll grow into something great one day. Can’t give it back!”

“If not, then just eat it. It is a token of goodwill. Let me have it—I’ve been cramped up in this sleeve all day.”

“If anyone should eat it, it’s us legs! We’ve been moving nonstop!”

“Shut it!” the Blaze Bug playing the “mouth” barked. “Why are you all making such a fuss? Trying to blow our cover and let people know we’re demons?”

“All over one measly bread. You lot act like you’ve never seen the world.”

As he spoke, a Blaze Bug the size of an egg suddenly popped out from the boy’s face and, in a flash, devoured the dry bread in a single bite…

…

The setting sun spread a dazzling canvas across the sky. Golden sunlight streamed through scattered clouds and poured into a simple courtyard enclosed by weathered earthen walls.

In the courtyard, a young girl sat upright on a slightly worn wooden bench, her silhouette stretched long by the sunset.

She had a youthful face, her cheeks flushed from years of sun and wind. With focused eyes, she lowered her head, sewing a large robe. The silver needle in her hand danced like a butterfly, threading smoothly and precisely through the cloth.

Outside the courtyard wall, a dust-covered girl—Blaze Two—spotted the skilled seamstress at once.

Glancing at her plain clothing, she casually tore a modest rip in the shoulder, then leaned in close to the wall and softly called out, “Miss, can you help me patch my clothes?”

Startled, the seamstress quickly looked up. Upon seeing the dusty girl outside, she hurriedly set her needlework down on the millstone beside her and rushed out to greet her. “Sister, come inside quickly.”

Once Blaze Two was warmly pulled into the courtyard, she was bombarded with questions—was she hungry, thirsty, did she want to wash up?

Only after repeatedly refusing did the kind girl let her sit, and began mending the tear in her shoulder.

As she sewed, the kind girl asked, “Sister, you must be a refugee too? Where did you come from?”

Blaze Two paused, then said, “From the south—a small, faraway village.”

“And your family…” The kind girl seemed to realize she’d hit a sore spot and quickly changed the subject. “What’s your name, sister?”

Wasn’t I supposed to be the one asking… Blaze Two thought for a moment. “My name is Chi Cuihua¹.”

“Chi Cuihua?” The girl paused, then smiled awkwardly. “I’m Gu Qingqing. Your skin is so fair, sister.”

“Ahahaha…” Blaze Two laughed, then replied, “Qingqing, you’re really beautiful…”

The girl smiled back. “No, no—you’re much prettier, sister…”

“No, no, you’re prettier,” Blaze Two insisted.

[Mouth, if you don’t know what to say, just don’t. All this talk about who’s prettier—are you seriously playing human now?]

[Can we move this along? Ask about Yan Wuyong already—it’s almost dark!]

[Next time don’t be the mouth. Let me do it. You talk way too much.]

Blaze Bugs, when close together, can share a sort of telepathic link.

So even if they hadn’t reached a level where they could take human form individually, they could still combine and pose as a relatively natural-looking person.

And now, seeing that the Blaze Bug acting as the “mouth” still hadn’t gotten any useful information and was just being peppered with questions, the others began to grow impatient.

Suppressing the flood of voices in her head, Blaze Two quickly said, “By the way, as I was coming here, I noticed there weren’t any refugees around. Life here seems completely normal…”

“Ah…” Gu Qingqing sighed deeply. “Sister Cuihua, you probably don’t know—this place is no longer part of Great Wu… It’s Monarch Yan’s territory!”

“Monarch Yan?” Blaze Two deliberately put on a puzzled look. “Who is he?”

“You must’ve just recently fled, huh…” Gu Qingqing’s face lit up with admiration. “To me, Monarch Yan is the most heroic man in the world…”