Chapter 44

“Are you really going to join the military?”

Cheng Wu frowned, his expression filled with worry and disapproval.

Mo Yin sat cross-legged on the bed, warming his hands by the fire, and leaned He Xuan’s knife against the bed. “Hmm,” he murmured, “I’ll report in a couple of days.”

Cheng Wu’s feelings were complicated.

Living in a border town, they naturally felt grateful for the stationed troops, knowing they protected the entire Dasheng. However, despite being repeatedly attacked, their city was never protected, so it was hard not to feel some resentment.

This time He Xuan did send troops, but it still relied on them. Cheng Wu looked at Mo Yin, who still looked weak and sickly, with his eyelashes drooping. His icy face revealed nothing of what he might be thinking.

He Xuan knew nothing about Mo Zigui.

They didn’t know each other’s faces or names.

After he entered the military camp, they would inevitably engage in some probing and confrontation, but this couldn’t really be considered the struggle between protagonist and antagonist.

Entering this small world, the system didn’t say anything or provide additional explanations, indicating that the rules of this world were the same as the previous one.

“The only thing known is that you will become the biggest antagonist in this world, opposing the protagonist.”

Mo Yin remembered this sentence clearly from the nonsense the system said at the time.

“The only thing known” sounded like the system deliberately withholding information from him. But looking at it from another angle, perhaps this was indeed the “only thing known” to the system.

But this contradicted the system’s previous statement: “There is no plot in this world; everything is unknown.”

If “everything is unknown,” where does “the only thing known” come from?

Since there’s no plot, what does the system base its judgment on to determine he would become the antagonist?

“Antagonist Coordinator” was his task identity, not his inherent attribute. Yet both times he entered this world, his situation was extremely bad. This time was only slightly better than last time. It seemed like this world inherently rejected him as an outsider. Perhaps this was related to him becoming the antagonist of this world.

The “small worlds” of the alliance were actually “false worlds” woven by that adult with extremely strong energy. The operation of these false worlds would generate a huge amount of energy, and each world’s operation required the intervention of some coordinators. These coordinators were like keys that activated these worlds. Without them, these worlds would be dead, flat, and unable to function properly.

In theory, the operation rules of these “small worlds” should be well understood by that adult. The coordinators only followed the instructions of that adult. All the systems of the alliance were controlled by that adult, so there was no reason for the system to know nothing about this small world.

Unless the two small worlds he entered weren’t operated by the energy of that adult at all.

In terms of the reality of the world, the adult who created this small world might have even stronger energy than the adult he knew. But how did that adult find the entrance to these two small worlds? If there is another “adult,” what would be the relationship between these two adults…

Mo Yin wasn’t interested in the tricks of the alliance. He always took care of his own pleasure, satisfying his own desires was the most important thing. But he suddenly felt a little interested in these matters. Mo Yin felt alert in his heart, sensing that something in him seemed to be changing.

The charcoal in the brazier crackled. Cheng Wu kept chattering. Although he didn’t say it directly, he hinted that joining the military was not a good choice. If Mo Yin wanted to leave Yongcheng, he was already an outsider, why not return to his hometown to live a carefree life? Mo Yin remained indifferent throughout, and in the end, he only said, “I’m tired.”

Cheng Wu’s expression turned dull. “Oh,” he said, frowning at Mo Yin, then suddenly said, “How about I join the military too?” He became excited, and stood up from the chair. “I’ll join the military and kill those barbarians! How about it?”

“Not a good idea.”

Mo Yin poured cold water on Cheng Wu directly. “The disaster of this spring has passed, and Yongcheng has survived it. What about afterward? The barbarians suffered heavy losses, but given time, they will surely come back. I cannot always watch over the military camp. Yongcheng needs someone to guard it.”

The excitement on Cheng Wu’s face gradually disappeared, and he slowly sat back down, his face sinking. He murmured, “You’re right.”

“I help defend the city for you, and yet you don’t want me to leave Yongcheng,” Mo Yin said calmly. “Strength comes from within; relying on others is not desirable.”

Cheng Wu’s face turned red. “Do you think I only want you to stay in Yongcheng to defend the city for us?!” He stood up, glared at Mo Yin resentfully, then stormed off, pulling aside the curtain. The early spring air was still chilly, sending a cold draft into the room. Mo Yin shivered, “I want lamb stew tonight.”

Cheng Wu paused in his steps, turned back, and pulled the curtain aside again. He retorted with irritation, “Strength comes from within? Then go catch the lamb and stew it yourself—”

Mo Yin replied, “Add some chili, I can handle spicy.”

In the blink of an eye, it was time to leave Yongcheng. Mo Yin only told Cheng Wu about joining the military and asked him not to spread the news widely to avoid trouble. He also didn’t want the people of Yongcheng to gather to see him off, or more accurately, he didn’t want anyone to come to see him off, including Cheng Wu.

On that morning, Mo Yin woke up to an empty room. After washing up and putting on his boots, he picked up He Xuan’s long knife. He was about to leave alone when he noticed a covered bowl and a dusty bundle on the table. Opening the bowl revealed a bowl of lamb stew. Inside the bundle were some clothes and the silver coins Mo Yin had given Cheng Wu originally, untouched and intact. Mo Yin picked up one silver coin and weighed it in his hand, thinking to himself, “Friendship.”

Non-natural people had all sorts of complicated emotions, useless for natural people, eliminated by the powerful mental strength during evolution.

Mo Yin sat down, finished the bowl of lamb stew, then skillfully stole two pots of wine. Finally, he picked up the bundle and left.

By midday, when Cheng Wu returned home, the house was very quiet. The bowl of lamb stew was cleaned, with a note placed underneath.

——Not spicy enough.

Cheng Wu smiled after reading it, then his eyes turned sour. “Such good handwriting, he really is a scholar.”

*

Mo Yin rode away on the pitch-black warhorse Cheng Wu bought. Cheng Wu willingly played the fool, providing him with good food and drink for several months. In the end, he didn’t even want Mo Yin’s money. That was Cheng Wu’s foolishness, bound by so-called friendship. Mo Yin happily accepted everything, eating and taking without any burden, and rode away on the horse without looking back.

The pitch-black warhorse was originally stolen by a deserter who raised horses, very valuable, fast and enduring. But today, for some reason, it was moving slowly. When they left Yongcheng, the horse even turned its head back. Mo Yin held the reins, looking up at the dusty words “Yongcheng” for a while, then turned the horse’s head back and urged it on, galloping into the desert wind.

The border military camp was about two hours’ ride from Yongcheng. As he approached the camp, Mo Yin gradually slowed down, considering what attitude would be appropriate to deal with He Xuan at the moment.

For the Mo Yin of this world, there were only two words for He Xuan—utilization.

He Xuan had nothing to do with the civil official group in the capital who framed him. Mo Yin wanted to enter the military camp, become a military advisor, gain He Xuan’s trust, and gradually replace He Xuan’s position in the army in practical terms. When his position in the military was unshakable, He Xuan would have no more value to him.

As the protagonist, He Xuan wouldn’t be easily defeated. When he discovered the truth in the future, there would surely be a backlash.

Based on the previous world, Mo Yin had summed up two lessons.

—Blowing up a truck was cool, but interference from the protagonist’s halo meant one should tread carefully, staying calm and quiet was best. You could do bad things without leaving a trace.

—Never lift a stone to hit your own foot, giving the protagonist extra strength to support the world.

In the previous world, he had very poor initial conditions, and his manipulation of the Pei brothers’ emotions was also inspired by Pei Qing. In this world, everything had gone smoothly so far, and he didn’t need to manipulate He Xuan’s emotions. He didn’t want to introduce an external force called “love” for He Xuan.

Enter the military camp—consolidate position—drain He Xuan’s utility—no emotional attachment for Mo.

He firmly imprinted each step in his mind as Mo Yin finally arrived at the military camp on horseback.

The guards at the military camp pointed their guns and shouted, “Who goes there!”

Mo Yin hadn’t spoken yet when someone came running from afar. “Mr. Mo—”

Li Yuan rushed over, sweating profusely. Seeing that he was the general’s messenger, the guards immediately relaxed their stern expressions. Li Yuan saluted Mo Yin on horseback and laughed heartily, “Mr. Mo, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting here for you for an hour. Since you didn’t show up, I went to practice for a while.”

“No problem.”

Mo Yin dismounted and casually tossed the reins to Li Yuan, who was slightly stunned but quickly caught them. The guards were astonished to see a refined scholar like Mo Yin behaving so arrogantly, even daring to have the general’s messenger hold the horse’s reins. Mo Yin then asked, “Where’s He Xuan? Why didn’t he come to greet me?” The two guards were almost shocked, as this man dared to address the general by his name!

“The general is busy with official duties.”

“What official duties?”

Li Yuan looked embarrassed. “I’m not sure.”

Mo Yin replied with an “Oh,” and as they walked away, the guards remained shocked. They wondered who this person was. Could he be some high-ranking official from the capital? Otherwise, how could he be so audacious? Even they didn’t dare mention the general’s name privately. This man not only addressed the general’s messenger so boldly but also dared to inquire about the general’s official duties. What level of official was he? And how did he manage to keep everything so secret?

The guards found it puzzling, while Li Yuan led Mo Yin into the military camp, attracting many curious glances along the way.

Firstly, Li Yuan, the general’s messenger, was leading a horse clearly did not belong to the general, which was strange enough. Secondly, Mo Yin himself looked refined and elegant, more suited to a merchant’s or nobleman’s household or even the court, but definitely not to a military camp. The men in the camp all shared a common characteristic—roughness. Even their great general, the son of a noble and illustrious lineage, didn’t exude the refined and elegant air Mo Yin did. He looked just as rugged and approachable as them. This man seemed out of place in every aspect…

Li Yuan also felt the curious gazes but remained tight-lipped, just like the personal guards who knew Mo Yin was coming to the camp but kept silent about it. If the general didn’t mention it, why would they spread rumors? Still, being scrutinized like a monkey made him uncomfortable. He wondered how Mo Yin felt.

“The general, Mr. Mo, has arrived,” Li Yuan announced loudly outside the tent.

“Please come in.”

Li Yuan handed the horse to another soldier, lifted the tent flap, and said to Mo Yin, “Please.”

Outside He Xuan’s tent were his personal guards, who recognized Mo Yin and remained unfazed.

Mo Yin entered the tent with a calm expression. The interior was simple, with a sand table as the centerpiece, a slightly tilted desk beside it, and a narrow bed to the right, barely big enough for one adult male to sleep on. At the foot of the bed were several wooden boxes, and on the far left was a weapon rack, holding various weapons. He Xuan was sitting at the desk writing something. When Mo Yin entered, he glanced up briefly and said, “The military advisor has arrived.” His demeanor was markedly different from the urgency displayed when he invited Mo Yin to the camp a few days earlier, now appearing quite indifferent.

Mo Yin gave a slight bow. “I’ve heard that the general is busy with official duties. Is there anything I can assist with?”

He Xuan smiled. “Indeed there is.”

He pulled out a thick stack of documents and tossed them over to Mo Yin, who caught them mid-air and quickly scanned through them before looking back at He Xuan.

“This matter is quite tricky,” He Xuan said. “Could the military advisor help me out?”

Mo Yin replied, “I’m willing to lend a hand.”

“In that case, please get to work.”

He Xuan lowered his head again and continued writing, his penmanship swift and forceful. He didn’t look up at Mo Yin again.

Mo Yin didn’t even bother to bid farewell with a bow, simply took the documents and left.

Outside the tent, Li Yuan was waiting for him. He informed Mo Yin that He Xuan had arranged a separate tent for him. Li Yuan said, “Only those ranked as captains or above have their own tents in the military camp. Oh, and the general said that from now on, I’m your personal guard. You can command me for anything.”

Mo Yin remained silent, showing no sign of joy.

The size and contents of the tent were similar to He Xuan’s. Mo Yin simply took off his shoes and lay down on the bed, pulling out the documents to examine.

The surrounding cities were facing a shortage of grain and had requested aid from the court, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Under desperate circumstances, they had turned to He Xuan’s forces for help. However, the military’s supplies were of utmost importance; how could they spare any for the surrounding towns? It was absurd. Yet this also indicated the dire situation those cities were in.

Mo Yin hadn’t felt the hardships of hunger while in Yongcheng. Either the city had plenty of surplus grain, or perhaps it hadn’t been plundered for grain this year. Mo Yin summoned Li Yuan to inquire about it. Li Yuan replied, “Among the many towns, Yongcheng is the wealthiest and still has surplus grain. The other smaller towns haven’t lost much grain this year either. Our general made preparations in advance, and most of it has been recovered. The shortage of grain isn’t due to the barbarians; it’s because of poor harvests last year.”

“I see.”

“Did the general ask you to solve the grain shortage?” Li Yuan asked.

Mo Yin didn’t answer, and Li Yuan didn’t dare ask further. He bowed and withdrew.

Although He Xuan was young, he managed to quell the rebellion in the mountain city with just twenty thousand troops, showcasing his undeniable military talent. In terms of managing subordinates, He Xuan was also skilled. Mo Yin was talented, but he was both mysterious and arrogant. He Xuan wouldn’t trust him immediately but would first test his mettle. The grain shortage in the city was a warning from He Xuan. However, several days had passed, and Mo Yin still hadn’t given any response or shown any signs of submission. Instead, he stayed in his tent all day. Li Yuan said he was either eating or sleeping. Sometimes Li Yuan had to ask him for meat, sometimes for wine.

Upon hearing this, He Xuan smiled instead of getting angry. “It seems I’ve raised a pampered idler. Go and fetch him.”

“Yes.”

After receiving the order, Li Yuan hurried to ask Mo Yin to go to He Xuan’s tent, reminding him, “The general wants you to offer advice as a military advisor.”

“To offer,” Mo Yin lazily replied as he put on his boots, “I have hundreds of strategies ready to offer him.”

Having spent several days without leaving his tent during the scorching daytime, Mo Yin’s complexion had grown even paler. He squinted his eyes, exuding a relaxed demeanor. Li Yuan led the way, but they were stopped at the shooting range. “Li Yuan, who is this you’re bringing?” 

Several shirtless soldiers were gathered, their hair tied up, sweat covering their bodies. They laughed and joked, “Didn’t the general forbid women in the camp?”

Li Yuan hesitated, his face turning tense. “What nonsense are you talking about? This is—” He wanted to say that Mo Yin was the military advisor in the camp, but He Xuan hadn’t officially given Mo Yin that status yet. His mouth moved, unsure of how to proceed. Since Mo Yin arrived at the camp, it had already spread among the soldiers. They were curious and skeptical. How could they respect someone who seemed like a freeloader in the army?

The shirtless soldiers quickly approached Mo Yin and intentionally blocked his path. “Who are you exactly? You have fair and handsome features. Are you someone’s family member?”

Before Li Yuan could respond, one soldier continued, “This is a military camp. Someone as sickly as you should go home and drink milk!”

The surrounding soldiers didn’t say anything, but their unfriendly gazes indicated their agreement. The military camp valued strength and a delicate scholar like Mo Yin couldn’t earn their respect.

Mo Yin raised his head slightly. His eyes were as cold as a deep pool, causing the soldier to feel a chill, but he didn’t move. He raised his chin and said, “This is the army camp. A sickly person like you should go home and drink milk while you still can!”

The soldiers around them may not have said anything, but their disdainful looks echoed the sentiment. The soldier hesitated for a moment.

However, in the next instant, before the soldier could react, in the blink of an eye, the arrow in his hand had been snatched away by the person in front of him. He stared in astonishment at the man before him, who was also looking at him with cold and deep eyes. He raised his bow, pulled the arrow, and shot it out like lightning—

The soldier was dumbfounded. The man in front of him was watching him shoot the arrow. That meant he hadn’t even looked at the arrow he shot. This was reckless! He could hurt someone!

The soldier quickly turned his head, only to see everyone looking at the target at the end of the shooting range—where the arrow shot without even a glance was vibrating in the center of the target.

As the arrow flew, the soldier forgot to catch it and let the bow fall to the ground. He was still staring at the target in disbelief, as were everyone else. They were all stunned, unable to believe what had just happened.

The fact that someone could shoot without even looking at the target and hit the bullseye was nothing short of a miracle!

Not far away, even the bodyguards were shocked. One of them looked at He Xuan beside him and exclaimed, “General, the military advisor’s archery skills are incredible!” He Xuan didn’t respond, his eyes fixed firmly on Mo Yin. There was an intense heat in his gaze as he watched Mo Yin, who had silenced the entire shooting range with his seemingly effortless shot. Instead of saying anything, Mo Yin simply coughed lightly, covered his mouth, lowered his hand, and walked past the soldier with an indifferent expression, without uttering a single word.