I want to die!

Chapter 14 The Last Dance

Upon seeing the money bag in Zhou Xing's hand, Li Yingjie's expression softened slightly.

"You can come in, but not those beggars behind you." Li Yingjie glanced at the five or six vagrants following behind Zhou Xing.

"It's fine if they don't come inside. It's snowing heavily outside right now, so let them rest under the wooden shed outside for a while," Zhou Xing said.

The few vagrants and beggars who carried him home were about to leave, but he persuaded them to stay because of the heavy snow.

Nothing else happened.

The main reason is that it's his last dance, so how could it be without an audience?

Inside and outside the county town, on the streets and in the city, there are three or four professions that are most well-informed.

Newspaper offices, teahouses, storytellers, and rickshaw pullers.

Then there are the inconspicuous beggars on the streets and alleys.

Zhou Xing was arrested and imprisoned for robbing grain, and the news spread throughout the county within three days. The beggars certainly played a part in this.

Therefore, Zhou Xing needs to keep people here tonight.

In addition to the degree to which one's last wishes are fulfilled, a person's life is also evaluated based on their reputation, influence, and whether they have lived up to the intangible and invisible qualities of life.

Now that he has already gained widespread fame, he should strike while the iron is hot and have one last dance.

After some persistent pleading, Li Yingjie finally agreed, for the sake of the money bag.

Zhou Xing followed him inside.

My second uncle, Li Yingjie, also lived in poverty; his house was completely bare.

The family has an only son, who is seven or eight years old, about the same age as Li Ziqing. He is naturally already asleep.

Zhou Xing went to the kitchen counter, picked up a few pieces of firewood, and started boiling water on the stove.

"As agreed, the pot will cost twenty coins, and the firewood will be charged separately," Li Yingjie said slowly.

"Firewood is hard to find in the snowy winter, but I carried it back from the mountains piece by piece before. A bundle costs five coins."

"...Okay." Zhou Xing counted out forty coins from his money bag and placed them on the stove.

"Nephew, you're too kind." Li Yingjie hurriedly put away the copper coins on the stove, then said casually.

"The water's almost boiling, and I still don't know what you need the pot for?"

"Of course, we need to prepare some food to get through the winter," Zhou Xing said slowly.

"Zhao Shanren came to collect his debt tonight, didn't he? My family doesn't have much surplus food to begin with, so naturally we need to prepare more."

"We can leave some for Second Uncle later."

"How could I possibly accept this... Speaking of which, you have a pot at home too, why did you come here?" Li Yingjie voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.

In fact, he had wanted to ask for a long time, but he was afraid that it would remind him of something. So he waited until the water had boiled and he had put the forty coins into his pocket before finally speaking.

"It's nothing, I was just worried about getting the pot dirty and someone stopping me," Zhou Xing said casually, climbing onto the stove and plopping down inside.

"I'm a little embarrassed. How about this, once we get to know each other better, you can give your uncle 20%."

Li Yingjie: ?!

He stood there, stunned, and for a moment forgot to reply.

Weren't we just chatting casually? What are you doing all of a sudden?!

Zhou Xing paused for a moment, then spoke again:

"Then let's split it 30/70."

"Are you out of your mind? Who's bargaining with you here?!" Li Yingjie was completely stunned. He shakily moved over step by step and reached out to grab Zhou Xing's body.

However, his hand was grabbed by the other party, and Zhou Xing's body remained as still as an iron tower.

"Second Uncle, you're too weak. You don't have any strength. Why don't you go outside and call someone to come in and help?" Zhou Xing looked quietly into his eyes.

This eerie calm sent a chill down Li Yingjie's spine, and he scrambled out the door.

Zhou Xing, on the other hand, remained quite calm.

Anyway, it's not his body; his true form is buried somewhere underground.

Putting aside the impressive pain tolerance of "Li Xuanqing's" body, Zhou Xing only needed to shift his attention back to the corpse itself, and even a frying pan would be a piece of cake.

The area outside the house quickly became lively, with noisy voices rising from the room.

The five or six refugees and beggars who had been sheltering from the wind and snow in the cowshed rushed in, and seven or eight hands grabbed Zhou Xing and pulled him out at the same time.

The pot shook, and hot water splashed out, scalding people and making them gasp.

Zhou Xing, however, seemed to have taken root in the ground. While wrestling with them with one hand, he still had the strength in his other hand to reach for a piece of firewood from his side and slowly stuff it into the stove.

"How could it come to this, how could it come to this..." The thin old man who was the first to carry him in the crowd muttered to himself.

Zhou Xing squeezed his withered, twig-like hand.

He whispered in a voice only he could hear:

"Because those who carry firewood for others are most likely to be remembered by freezing to death in the snow."

He tightened his grip slightly, and his voice grew louder:

"Because I want you to remember me."

"Because I want to leave behind an inheritance that no one can take away from me in this world."

Anyone who frequently slaughters pigs knows that they must first bleed, remove the hair, and remove the internal organs; no butcher would simply boil them in hot water.

The legacy he wanted to leave behind was certainly not just these hundred or so pounds of meat.

Rather, it refers to something unseen and intangible.

This profound sentiment in people's hearts may help the Li family get through this long winter.

The voices and noises outside the stove grew louder, while Zhou Xing's consciousness gradually faded.

In a daze, he saw a pair of bright, dark eyes quietly watching him from among the crowd.

Quietly.

Without blinking.

I don't know when they arrived, but they stood by the threshold, behind everyone.

They didn't rush over, didn't cry out, and didn't even make a sound.

She just stared at him quietly, her eyes seeming to hold a bottomless well.

.......................................

The winters in Taichang have been exceptionally long in the past 100 years.

But this winter, the Li family's luck suddenly improved, and they kept finding things.

A few days later, a small bag of stale rice suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard, placed on the threshold. No one knew who had put it there.

Zhang put the rice inside without making a sound.

A few days later, another string of copper coins, neatly strung together with hemp rope, was placed under the fence post.

Later on, every now and then, you could find something in the yard.

Sometimes it was a handful of mixed grains, sometimes a few coins, and sometimes a piece of pickled vegetable wrapped in oil paper.

No one ever knocked on the door, and no one ever claimed it.

Some distant relatives whom she had never met before came to visit, some surnamed Li, some surnamed Zhang, and some surnamed Wei. Zhang herself couldn't explain where they came from.

On the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, just before the Lunar New Year, a special guest arrived at the Li family's home.

He was a fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man carrying a large bundle, whose appearance vaguely resembled Li Xuanqing.

It was Li Yingcai, Li's father, who had been missing for a year.

It is said that Li Yingcai left home last year to do business, but in fact, he was introduced to a purchasing eunuch in the palace and entered the palace.

This wasn't a glorious thing to tell anyone. Li Yingcai was a father, and when his wife and children asked him about it that day, he only said that he had gone out to do business.

For someone of Li Yingcai's age, it was not common to hire a knife maker to enter the palace; it was easy to lose one's life. Li Yingcai barely recovered from this ordeal.

Although they tried to send letters home, the letters were lost to the enemy whenever there was an uprising or rebellion.

It was almost a year later when he finally asked for leave from the palace to return to his hometown.

Only his wife and daughter remained at home.

The youngest sister, only nine years old, developed a second pupil in her eye, two pupils in one eye, layered upon each other, deep and unfathomable.

After leaving the money, Li Yingcai fled the next day.

He was afraid to look his own child in the eye, always feeling that there was another child's eyes hidden in Li Ziqing's eyes, watching him all the time.

The past is like a bottomless well, into which Li Yingcai has long since fallen.

After that, Li Yingcai lived in the palace most of the time, only sending back most of his monthly salary periodically, and rarely returned to the eight towns.

.....................

The depths underground are unknown.

Inside the mirror coffin, Zhou Xing's right hand twitched slightly.

"This time, the corpse can be manipulated by four more fingers, which is a good progress."

[Grade: (C+)]

[You can choose one of the following gifts from the deceased as an additional initial ability for your next soul-possessed person who died a violent death]

【Nail in Flesh (Blue)】: The ominous coffin nail is still deeply embedded in the skull, giving it an extraordinary resilience and tenacious tolerance to fatal wounds.

【Unyielding (Youth)】: Years of street beatings and self-harm to make a living have forged a resilience that is adept at withstanding blows and enduring pain, allowing one to move freely even when seriously injured.

【The Traveler Returning Home on a Snowy Night (White)】: A lone traveler on a snowy night, carried and remembered by strangers in dire straits. Those who inherit this ability have a certain probability of triggering a weak "fate" or receiving unexpected, minor assistance when they are isolated, helpless, or on the verge of despair.

Additional benefits:

[Nine Yang Divine Spear Skill - Remnant (Green)]: I have had a superficial understanding of the unorthodox external martial arts used in the Beggars' Sect to temper certain parts of the body. Although I haven't studied it in depth, I know its basics. I have a certain level of awareness and adaptability to practicing such unconventional or unorthodox physical tempering methods.

The "Unyielding" option seems to be an enhanced version of the previous "Martial Beggar" skill, with a similar effect to "Hidden Nail in Flesh"... But if I choose "Hidden Nail in Flesh," will I actually have an extra nail stuck in my head?

However, upon closer examination, it can actually synergize quite well with the previously acquired talent, "Exhibitionist".

After all, taking off clothes is exposure, and so is exposing skin, flesh, and bones...

Now, Zhou Xing can freely manipulate all five fingers of the corpse's right hand, and he is looking forward to his next soul-transferring body.

Within the layers of reflections formed by the six sides of the mirror coffin, Li Xuanqing's figure began to dim, blur, and slowly distort.

Finally, he transformed into a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and no beard, who looked quite similar to him.

No, there's also a TV series... Zhou Xing has already recognized the identity of the person who died a violent death.

It was Li Xuanqing's biological father, Li Yingcai, who left his hometown to become a palace eunuch.

...................

Winter of the 110th year of Taichang.

Anping Post Station, a post station located 20 li outside Qingshui County.

The biting winter wind rattled against the windowsill, and even the fire in the stove couldn't completely dispel the chill.

Prince Zhou Chen of the Southern Zhou Kingdom was leaning against the window reading late into the night. It was already very dark outside.

After half a month of traveling by carriage, we finally got to catch our breath for half a night at this dilapidated post station.

We have to travel early tomorrow morning. The military officers escorting him are urging us on, as if something bad will happen to this hostage if we are even a day late.

What other unexpected events could possibly occur?

Zhou Chen closed the book and rubbed his temples. Wearing only a thin undergarment, he got up and walked to the bedside, intending to rest early.

A faint human-shaped bulge could be seen under the blanket; someone was inside, but remained motionless, with their back to him.

Zhou Chen was startled and slowly lifted the blanket off the bed.

In the flickering light of the kerosene lamp, a naked figure appeared on the bed, lying there quietly and motionless.

She had a slender frame, a face as white as paper, a flat chest, and faint scratches on her chest and abdomen, clearly indicating that she had experienced a fierce struggle...

What's next?

That's all.

This is a dead eunuch.

Upon closer inspection of the deceased's appearance... Zhou Chen was astonished to discover the person's identity.

"Little Leonardo DiCaprio?"

Xiao Li Zi, whose real name is Li Yingcai, is from Qingshui County, Jiangnan Province.

Three days ago, the Ministry of Rites of the Great Mang appointed his personal eunuch, saying that he would "attend to His Highness's daily life."

This person was taciturn and meticulous in his work. Zhou Chen had no ill feelings towards him and even felt a sense of sympathy for him.

"Is he dead, or did he die naked in my bed?"

Zhou Chen's face darkened.

An inexplicable anger immediately rose in his heart.

Zhou Chen stared at the corpse, a chill rising from the depths of his spine—not fear, but anger.

The Southern Zhou Dynasty was the legitimate imperial dynasty in the Central Plains five hundred years ago. At that time, the so-called "heaven and man" had not yet appeared in the world, and all within the four seas referred to themselves as subjects of Zhou.

Three hundred years ago, the celestial beings appeared in the world. With the help of a strange artifact, the Northern Barbarians marched south with their iron cavalry, forcing the Great Zhou back to a corner of the southwestern ancestral state.

In his generation, even the crown prince had to travel north to the capital and kneel before the enemy's golden palace, becoming a hostage.

Submission is not enough; humiliation is also required.

They also wanted to frame him for raping and murdering his personal eunuch.

"This scoundrel has gone too far! He's actually gone so far as to falsely accuse me of raping and murdering my personal eunuch?!"

Amidst the shock and anger, a sense of lingering fear also welled up within me.

If this brute could kill his personal eunuch without anyone noticing and throw the body into his bed, then his life would likely be nothing more than a piece of the enemy's possession...

Before he could think further, footsteps approached from afar outside the tent.

"Your Highness, are you resting?" It was the voice of the Great Mang Guard Commander, neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to carry into the room.

Prince Zhou Xing's expression changed drastically, and his heart sank heavily.

If a brute can kill, strip, and stuff his personal eunuch into his bed without anyone noticing, then isn't the head of this "Prince of Southern Zhou" also hanging in the enemy's hands?

This false accusation is probably just the beginning.

At that moment, a faint sound suddenly came from the bed.

"Your Highness, please don't panic, I have an idea..."

Prince Zhou Xing looked in astonishment toward the sound.

But then he saw that the dead eunuch on the bed had gotten up and dressed at some point, and was staring at him with his eyes open.

.....................

The prince was shocked, as was Zhou Xing, who had just been awakened by the eunuch.

The idea of ​​transmigrating into the body of a eunuch, especially one who was "raped and murdered" by a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, is indeed quite shocking.

Not long ago, he was Li Xuanqing, a grain robber in Qingshui County... Now he's Li Xuanqing's father?

The time point in which his soul traveled was the 110th year of the Taichang era.

Eleven years after Li Yingcai left home to enter the palace for castration, and ten years after the death of his eldest son, Li Xuanqing.

"Your Highness, when those people outside come in, they will find me dead in your bed. This will be a good show of catching you in the act of adultery. If your adultery and murder of the eunuch are exposed, your moral character will be compromised, and I'm afraid you may not be able to reach the hostage residence in the capital unscathed."

Zhou Xing slowly began to speak:

"But once the stage is set up, how the performers sing is not up to them."