Chapter 1163 – Decimation of Xu Pei, First Kill of the Lords (Thirty-three)
“Having eaten and drunk, old pal, why don’t you get to work?”
Bai Ning stood bare-chested, pants rolled up, shoving some fodder toward a mule that looked decidedly unimpressed, turning its head away.
The weather was scorching, the air filled with a palpable impatience.
Bai Ning, not known for his patience, was getting annoyed as the mule stubbornly refused to load up. His temper flared.
“You beast, are you looking to get skinned and turned into donkey meat skewers instead?”
Bai Ning threatened the mule.
The mule remained unfazed, rolling its eyes and dismissively snorting, turning its rear towards Bai Ning.
Just as he was about to blow his top, Wei Ci stepped forward with a smile, “Is this the renowned Bai Yishi?”
Hearing someone call his name, Bai Ning temporarily set aside his tussle with the mule and turned to see who it was.
“In this day and age, it’s rare to see such a delicate figure,” Bai Ning dropped the fodder, stroked the stubble on his chin, grinning widely, “You don’t sound local, and you don’t look like someone who’s been robbed by bandits either—”
At thirty-nine years of age, Bai Ning was in his prime, his well-developed chest glistening with sweat.
Wei Ci calmly intercepted the guards who tried to step forward, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Bai Ning. “I am indeed an outsider. I heard that Bai Yishi has settled here, so I prepared a small gift to pay a visit. If I am rude in any way, please forgive me.”
Bai Ning felt a bit strange upon hearing this.
He was just a rough man, his neighbors as rough as he was, and he rarely dealt with scholar-types.
Seeing Wei Ci neatly and cleanly dressed while he himself was bare-chested, with his coarse pants tied at the waist with a rope, he felt a bit disheveled.
However, Bai Ning was thick-skinned and his bronze skin showed no trace of embarrassment.
“Oh, so you’re here looking for me—” Bai Ning smirked, giving Wei Ci a once-over from his feet to his head, a satisfied glint in his eye. He casually pulled over a long bench, plopped down, crossed his legs in a rather lazy pose, patting the other side of the bench with his right hand, “Let’s skip the small talk. Just say what you came to say. Come on, young lad, sit and chat—”
Seeing the familiar scene, Wei Ci couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
In his previous life, Bai Ning had acted just like this, and Wei Ci at that time thought him rough and uncouth, but held back due to upbringing.
In this life, seeing an old acquaintance again, he found it oddly amusing instead.
Moreover, Bai Ning was over a generation older than Wei Ci, barely fitting in the older generation’s category.
“Please, no need for such formality.”
Now it was Bai Ning’s turn to feel awkward.
Bai Ning’s temperament was such that if you were tough with him, he would out-tough you; if you softened, he couldn’t be tough anymore.
“Let’s be honest, what brings you to this backwater?”
Wei Ci chuckled, “Didn’t I just say? I came specifically to see Bai Yishi.”
Bai Ning didn’t buy it.
Outsiders called him “Bai Yishi” because he had led the young men of the village to fend off bandits, maintaining peace in the area, earning a good reputation.
But Bai Ning knew this was trivial; why would someone like Wei Ci, so refined, seek him out?
“What do you want from me?”
Looking at Wei Ci’s appearance and thinking of his own, the usually nonchalant Bai Ning felt a bit jittery.
Wei Ci replied, “Of course, it’s to recruit Bai Yishi, lest a pearl get tarnished.”
Bai Ning was taken aback, unable to resist digging in his ear with his pinky.
“What did you say?”
A pearl tarnished?
Him?
Had this kid’s brains been scrambled?
“I’m just a rough man, all brawn and no brains—” Bai Ning awkwardly rubbed his hands, then suddenly stood up, grabbing the mule’s harness, muscles tensed as if he were frightened, “You’d better go find someone else for this.”
“Why must Bai Yishi be so modest?” Wei Ci said, “If Yishi had no talent, how could he manage hundreds of local youths to fend off thousands of marauders? Years ago, when the Southern savages rampaged, Pingjun also fell under their tyranny. Only this place has remained peaceful, isn’t that thanks to Yishi’s efforts? You claim to be talentless, yet leading troops is something many veterans can only aspire to.”
Hearing this, Bai Ning looked like a spooked wildcat, his eyes flashing with fierceness.
Wei Ci continued, “In this chaotic world, doesn’t Yishi wish to clear the skies? Staying in one corner will only tarnish the pearl!”
Bai Ning dragged the mule along, shouting in exasperation.
“None of your business!”
Wei Ci followed closely behind, not pushing him.
The poor mule, eager to stay put, had to reluctantly keep up, unable to withstand Bai Ning’s strength. Bai Ning could easily lift a big cauldron weighing three or four stones, not to mention the stubborn mule. The creature left a long trail in the dirt before surrendering and following along.
Wei Ci trailed after Bai Ning to his home.
Bai Ning’s family had historically made a decent living selling firecrackers, but due to poor management over the past two generations, it had come to lean towards poverty, just scraping by. He often hunted in the mountains to contribute to the household, earning more than from selling firecrackers.
In his past life, after recruiting Bai Ning, Wei Ci heard about his youth.
Young Bai Ning had once rescued a crippled old general who had fallen to begging, and all his martial arts and tactics came from that man.
Though he failed in business, Bai Ning was naturally talented in martial arts, surpassing that old general.
However, from humble beginnings, he couldn’t bear to leave his aging parents behind, which had kept him from enlisting.
This delay stretched into middle age, during which chaos ensued.
“This is my home; get out!”
Seeing Wei Ci follow him, Bai Ning gripped his own fence gate, blocking the way with his burly frame.
Wei Ci smiled, “I saw the stars at night and calculated that Bai Yishi was once a disciple of the famed General Ge Chun of the Southern Sheng. Is that true?”
Bai Ning’s expression stiffened, his eyes widening in shock.
“That’s nonsense! I don’t know any Ge Chun!”
“Bai Yishi, don’t be hasty. The Southern Sheng has fallen, and even if Ge Chun’s name were known, it wouldn’t endanger you.”
“Ge Chun…” This was Wei Ci’s careful deduction from his previous life, later confirmed by Bai Ning.
During the last years of the Southern Sheng, soldiers were drafted to fight the four tribes of Southern savages, with General Ge Chun consistently achieving victories.
Ge Chun was loyal to the Emperor, with a straight and unyielding nature, making enemies of many noble families and influential clans.
The latter, fearing further victories by Ge Chun against the savages, acted first, stalling reinforcements and supply lines until Ge Chun’s troops were ambushed by the four tribes. Reports claimed he was killed in battle, his remains eaten by the beasts raised by the savages.
Afterwards, the court slandered him with false charges, implicating his family.
Though he survived and became a cripple, he fell into despair and eventually ended up begging. If not for the assistance from young Bai Ning, Ge Chun would have died long ago.
