EHW Ch37

Pei Xin said nothing. Qin Xuan’s gaze fell on the dog at Pei Xin’s feet, currently busy tearing up sheets of xuan paper, and a look of confusion flashed in his eyes.
“…Your Majesty keeps a dog now?”

Pei Xin didn’t quite agree with that phrasing.

“Keeping a dog” hinged on that word keep, it implied the relationship of master and pet.
Pei Xin didn’t think he was keeping this dog, nor did he think the dog saw him as its master.

To put it more accurately, Pei Xin felt that he was the one serving the dog.
Just as he served Gu Fangzhi.

Of course, that wasn’t something he’d say to Qin Xuan. He simply asked, “What is it?”

Qin Xuan began, “It’s about, ”

“Woof, woof, woof!”

“the Cangsheng Sect, ”

“Aroo! Woof, woof, woof!”

“I’ve received some intelligence, ”

“Rr-woof!”

While Qin Xuan was speaking, the frantic little white dog suddenly began barking nonstop, nearly drowning out his voice entirely.
When Qin Xuan stopped talking, the dog immediately fell silent.

Qin Xuan: “……”

After a pause, he asked Pei Xin, “It seems not to like this general.”

Pei Xin replied flatly, “It doesn’t like anything.”

That dog must’ve gone mad in its mother’s womb.

Still, Pei Xin rather appreciated that disdain-for-everything attitude.

Just then, darkness flickered before his eyes,
Gu Fangzhi had begun using witchcraft again.

This time, though, it wasn’t as frequent as before; after one or two rewinds, it stopped.

Once Gu Fangzhi settled down, Pei Xin asked, “What of the Cangsheng Sect?”

Qin Xuan presented a secret report with both hands.

The Cangsheng Sect had long been divided into conservative and radical factions. The radicals had gathered a large force and marched north, secretly recruiting soldiers and stockpiling weapons until they finally occupied Mount Liang.

Mount Liang lay on the border between Great Qi and the Western Hu. Recently, the Hu had been locked in a stalemate with a small neighboring state’s army.

That army, led by a commander named Li Hao, had been fighting under the banner of the Cangsheng Sect, and now, the sect itself had truly appeared.

As soon as Qin Xuan finished, Pei Xin frowned.
“You suspect they intend to move against Great Qi?”

“Yes.”

Everything about the sect’s actions suggested ulterior motives; such speculation was hardly groundless.

Pei Xin’s expression grew serious.

He summoned Yang Luhai to take the dog away, but at that moment, the creature suddenly acted possessive, biting fiercely at Pei Xin’s dragon robe and refusing to leave, nearly tearing a hole in it.

Pei Xin sighed helplessly. “Forget it.”

He tossed it two pieces of jerky. The dog, finally content, lay down and gnawed happily.

Neither Pei Xin nor Qin Xuan were men of many words. Both veterans of war, they quickly discussed military arrangements and devised a response.

Qin Xuan rose and saluted. “Your servant will depart immediately.”

When Gu Fangzhi arrived at the study, the first thing he heard was Qin Xuan’s line.

He blinked. “General Qin, you’re leaving already?”

Qin Xuan glanced at Gu Fangzhi, then instinctively turned toward the map spread on the desk.

It had been blank before, but Pei Xin had just marked it with notes. If someone with ill intent saw it…

Qin Xuan’s suspicions toward Gu Fangzhi still hadn’t eased.

But the ever-cautious Pei Xin didn’t hide the map this time. He only said, “My teacher is here.”

Gu Fangzhi asked, “General Qin, you’ve only been back a few days and you’re leaving the capital already?”

Qin Xuan nodded. “Yes. I must inspect the troops. I can’t rest easy unless I do.”

Gu Fangzhi sighed. “What a pity.”

He’d wanted to hear more war stories from Qin Xuan, but never got the chance, now the general was leaving again.

Qin Xuan said, “I don’t know when I’ll return next. You…”

He chose his words carefully. “You work hard, take care of your health, and don’t trouble yourself with unnecessary worries.”

A subtle warning: don’t scheme too much.
Gu Fangzhi smiled. “Of course. And you, General, please stay safe.”

Pei Xin: “……”

How touching. Should I arrange an eighteen-mile farewell parade for you two?

The little dog spun in circles chasing its tail, then suddenly threw its head back and barked madly.

Gu Fangzhi’s attention was drawn; he turned to look.

He’d noticed this little dog yesterday when Pei Xin came to the Ministry of Rites. Its fur was pure white, soft and clean, its muzzle short and neat, not quite like any modern breed, but undeniably beautiful and cute.

Pei Xin had given him the day off yesterday, so he hadn’t been able to stand guard, or play with the dog.

Gu Fangzhi loved small animals; at the academy, he’d stop in his tracks whenever he saw cats or dogs. He asked Pei Xin, “Your Majesty, may I pet it?”

Pei Xin couldn’t understand why anyone would want to pet that dog, but he respected the request and nodded. “Mn.”

Gu Fangzhi immediately crouched down, cooing softly, “Here, here…”

Qin Xuan bowed and excused himself.

When Pei Xin looked back, Gu Fangzhi was already squatting beside the dog.

The little creature lay flat on the floor, eyes wide, clearly wary of his approach.

Gu Fangzhi smiled faintly and reached out his hand.

He had beautiful hands, slender and well-defined, skin pale to the point of translucence.

He gently rubbed the dog’s head with his fingertips, then stroked behind its soft, fluffy ears.

Strangely enough, the frenzied dog went completely still under his touch.

It seemed to enjoy it, tilting its head and pressing its forehead into his palm, nudging closer, even sticking out its tongue to lick his fingertips.

Gu Fangzhi tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, his gaze gentle, and chuckled softly.

“Good boy.”

Pei Xin suddenly felt his palms itch again.
Maybe he just wanted to hit something, who could blame him, faced with the two walking disasters he had to serve?

Uneasy, he tilted his head aside as Gu Fangzhi asked, “Your Majesty, does it have a name yet?”

Pei Xin: “…No.”

He’d only taken the dog on a whim, in a moment of madness, and it wasn’t easy to name such a creature.

He asked, “Do you have any ideas, Teacher?”

Gu Fangzhi thought for a moment. “How about Snowball?”

At the word snow, Pei Xin recalled yesterday’s carriage filled with flying white fluff.

He looked down at the torn pieces of paper scattered across the floor and nodded.
“A good name. Suits it well, quite poetic.”

The little dog rolled over onto its back beneath Gu Fangzhi’s hand, belly up in bliss.

After a while, the tutor arrived.

Snowball had sunk its teeth into Pei Xin’s dragon robe and simply wouldn’t let go, so in the end Pei Xin had no choice but to let it stay.

When Snowball silently drank up all the ink from the inkstone, the day’s lesson finally ended.

Gu Fangzhi randomly tested Pei Xin with a few questions, and when he answered them all correctly, Gu Fangzhi smiled in satisfaction.
“Good boy, good boy.”

Pei Xin: “……”

Did Gu Fangzhi just compare him to Snowball?

Pei Xin’s expression darkened. Realizing his mistake, Gu Fangzhi quickly reloaded the “save file,” slapped the dragon’s hindquarters again, and corrected himself.

“Your Majesty is truly gifted and intelligent! I’m in awe!”

Pei Xin pursed his lips. “Enough.”

When Gu Fangzhi was talking to Qin Xuan earlier, he’d been full of light and energy, but when it came to him, all Pei Xin got were these fake, perfunctory praises.

And he was the one who knew all of Gu Fangzhi’s secrets, too.

Unaware of what Pei Xin was thinking, Gu Fangzhi asked with a faint smile,
“Will Your Majesty have this minister stay tonight?”

Pei Xin fell silent.

Last night, when Gu Fangzhi wasn’t there, he had technically fallen asleep, but it was a night full of nightmares.

So tonight, he had been planning to have Gu Fangzhi stay.

But the way Gu Fangzhi phrased it, if he said yes, it would sound like he was asking him to stay.

Almost like a plea for company.

So Pei Xin instinctively denied it.

“No need.”

Gu Fangzhi didn’t push. “Oh,” he said simply, “then may Your Majesty rest well.”

As he bowed to leave, Pei Xin abruptly remembered something.

“Have Yang Luhai give the teacher what I had prepared.”

Ever since Pei Xin had begun calling him “Teacher,” Gu Fangzhi regularly received gifts from him every few days, sometimes a fine jade ornament, other times a roll of shimmering silk.
Gu Fangzhi was pleased that Pei Xin understood gratitude, even more so that he repaid kindness so generously.

Gu Fangzhi bowed with genuine warmth. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Yang Luhai handed him a small redwood box. It was heavy in Gu Fangzhi’s hands.

Once he stepped out of the study, he couldn’t resist. Standing by the doorway, he pried open a tiny crack in the lid and peeked inside.

Golden light gleamed from within.

Gold! It’s gold! I have gold!!!

[Asset +1 +1 +1]

Gu Fangzhi was elated, until his vision suddenly went black.

Thick black mist surged upward, pulling him into a strange, void-like space.

He immediately recognized what this was,
the same thing that happened the first time he’d triggered a bad ending after transmigrating into the game.

He waited. Soon, the flamboyant title “The Founding Emperor” floated before his eyes.

When the opening animation ended, glowing words appeared in the air:

[Congratulations, Player! Total Assets Have Reached 10,000 Gold.]
[Would you like to spend 1 Flower to purchase 1 Save Slot?]

“So you can buy extra save slots with microtransactions now?”
Gu Fangzhi was pleasantly surprised, save slots were extremely valuable to him right now. He’d take ten if he could.

To hesitate even one second would be an insult to all AVG players.
Without a moment’s delay, Gu Fangzhi reached out and tapped “Yes.”

[Not enough Flowers. Recharge using Assets?]

Gu Fangzhi tapped “Yes” again.

[Recharge Successful. Assets –10,000 Gold. Save Slots +1.]

Seeing Save Slots +1, his heart leapt with joy.
Seeing Assets –10,000 Gold, it stopped beating altogether.

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Wait, what?

One flower costs all his gold???

Wasn’t that… just a little outrageous!?

But however angry he was, there was no one to complain to.

The black mist slowly faded, and Gu Fangzhi found himself standing once again outside the imperial study.

The redwood box in his hand now felt feather-light.

He opened the save menu, sure enough, where there had once been only two save slots, there were now three.

Money could be earned again. Save slots were worth far more.

Trying to console himself, Gu Fangzhi saved the file into slot #3 and, as if to reassure himself further, opened the box once more.

It was empty.

[Congratulations, Player! You have achieved the Bad Ending: Sudden Cardiac Arrest.]

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

So much for pretending to be calm, how humiliating.

Fortunately, he’d just saved. He immediately reloaded.

[Congratulations, Player! You have achieved the Bad Ending: Sudden Cardiac Arrest.]

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Yep. Still painful.

After two reloads, the shock of instant poverty finally dulled.

But the “bad ending” kept triggering at random.

So Gu Fangzhi simply sat down on the spot, waiting for the ache in his heart to fade.

Inside the hall.

Pei Xin’s vision flickered black, once, twice, and again.

Snowball’s brush snapped in its mouth again and again and again.

Pei Xin: “……?”

Hadn’t Gu Fangzhi just left?
Why was he suddenly casting so many spells?

Could it be, something had happened to him?

Pei Xin’s heart leapt into his throat, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes.

He hurried toward the door, and the moment he stepped outside, he nearly tripped over Gu Fangzhi, who was sitting on the ground with his back to him.

“Teacher, what happened? Are you hurt?”

Pei Xin frowned, reaching out to grab his arm, trying to pull him up.

Startled, Gu Fangzhi flinched, then relaxed when he saw it was Pei Xin.

But being caught by the emperor in such a pitiful state over money was deeply embarrassing.

He shook his head quickly, saving the game as he said, “This minister is fine.”

He took Pei Xin’s offered hand to stand, but Pei Xin clearly had no experience helping anyone up, his grip was far too strong.
Gu Fangzhi almost lost his balance, stumbling forward.

His lips brushed against Pei Xin’s cheek.

Pei Xin froze.
Yang Luhai, behind him, also froze.

Gu Fangzhi’s eyes went wide, he hastily opened the save menu.

Panicking, he clicked the wrong save slot once, twice, flashing through the Western Hu envoys, the tutor scenes, before finally landing on the correct slot.

Time rewound to the moment Pei Xin reached out his hand.

Before the emperor could touch him, Gu Fangzhi quickly stood up on his own.
“Your servant… your servant is fine.”

Pei Xin withdrew his hand slowly, replying with a drawling, “Mn.”