Chapter 25 – Just A Shadow Guard

They continued to stroll outside for a while and returned without buying anything. But after returning, Xiao Weixin quickly sent Wang Chen out.

The confused Wang Chen went and found the stall according to the directions given by his prince. Seeing that the stall had not yet closed, he quickly bought that indescribable buyao¹The garishly bright and tacky hair ornament You Shu picked that You Shu had liked, put it in his pocket and went back.

On the way back, he kept wondering why the prince asked him to do this. This thing looked like what a girl would wear. Could it be that his prince has fallen for a girl?

But if he really wanted to give that girl a gift, wouldn’t giving her something from a reputed jewelry shop be more befitting of his princely status? After all, how could these cheap items from roadside stalls be worthy of a prince? Could it be that the girl has some unique taste?

Thinking of this possibility, Wang Chen’s steps quickened. He had been with the prince for so many years but he had never seen him being attracted to any girl. If such a person really existed then his prince would finally have someone who understood him and cared about him.

After Xiao Weixin got that thing, he still felt it was too garish. He held it in his hand and looked at it again and again. He raised his head and asked Wang Chen: “What do you think of this… thing?”

Wang Chen’s whole face was beaming with joy as if he was about to become a father²Because having a child is a very joyous thing… no other meaning.. Assuming that the prince, who had just fallen in love for the first time, was worried that the girl would not like his gift, he quickly nodded and encouraged him: “This subordinate thinks that it is very good and it can lift people’s spirits just with one look!”

Xiao Weixin gave him a doubtful glance, not expecting that Wang Chen would also have such gaudy taste.

Although he thought this, Xiao Weixin still carefully put the buyao back in the box and put it in a drawer in the study. It seemed that he had no intention of giving it to anyone.

In fact, he also didn’t understand why he secretly asked Wang Chen to buy it. Neither the quality nor the workmanship of this thing was up to the mark. Ordinary women might like it but it wasn’t good enough to catch his eye. But he had looked at the little shadow guard’s expression carefully at the time and felt that he really seemed to like this thing.

Therefore, after returning, Xiao Weixin debated it for a long time and finally sent Wang Chen to buy it before nightfall. But he had no idea what to do with it so he could only put it in a box and place it in the cabinet drawer.

Not to mention other people, even Xiao Weixin himself could not explain his strange behavior.

But You Shu didn’t know anything about this. In fact, by the next morning, he had already forgotten all about the buyao. Remembering that he had beaten up the second male lead at the market yesterday, You Shu became sad. Would this make cooperation more difficult?

In the original novel, the life experiences of the second male lead are similar to those of the protagonist. They are both unfavored princes who originally had nothing to do with the battle for succession to the throne. They faced many conspiracies and eventually achieved great things. The difference is that Xiao Weixin’s motivation is his desire for revenge and he was not violent or cruel by nature while Na Sutu’s motivation was his own ambitions and desire for power and his methods were far more sinister.

The two of them also had a fierce confrontation once in the second half of the novel but, in the end, the protagonist’s halo³Basically the plot armor and the luck that a protagonist has. It’s a common term in c-novels. proved to be brighter and Na Sutu eventually had his tribe migrate to other areas more suitable for habitation, because the border area was gradually transforming into a desert and was no longer suitable for human survival. Naturally, there were no more chances for them to fight again.

If the protagonist can cooperate with Na Sutu now, all their future actions would undoubtedly become easier. But considering yesterday’s events, this is unlikely to happen.

Alas, impulsive actions truly have deadly consequences⁴This is my own interpretation. The original was ‘impulse kills people’.. It would have been better if he hadn’t attacked so harshly at that time.

You Shu had never taken Na Sutu’s affection for him seriously. In his eyes, it was impossible for two men to have that kind of relationship⁵I personally feel that he meant it more as he couldn’t see himself having that kind of relationship with another man. But you can see it however you want.. What good is a man?

Are girls not gentle enough, or are girls not cute enough?

Look at the female lead. Look at Hua Chun. Which of them is not a little angel?

Speaking of the female lead… You Shu remembered that she hadn’t made any appearance in a long time. According to the normal development of the plot, the protagonist should have had a romantic relationship with the female lead by now. Why are there no signs at all now???

You Shu sat cross-legged in the training ground of the Shadow Guard Camp, melancholy and worried like an old heartbroken father⁶操碎了一颗老父亲的心 is basically, an old father who worries to the point of being….heartbroken, apparently. IDK.

The yearly assessment matches for the Shadow Guard Camp were being held today. Just like the unit performance appraisal [in modern workplaces], they also have their own set of operating rules. At the beginning of every year, an arena is set up for competitions and rankings are re-evaluated. All of the shadow guards are naturally filled with competitiveness and fighting spirit. Who doesn’t have the desire to improve themselves? The temptation of being in the top ten is too great and everyone wants to try their best.

If anyone falls out of the top ten, the next person will naturally take his position and climb up so no one dares to slack off in training. But such replacements are very rare. The few of them⁷The ones named till now, Ying Er till Ying Shi., at least, have maintained their positions in the top ten for almost three years and no one has been replaced.

Xiao Weixin heard Xie Feiyuan mention that today was the day of the assessment. He could have just observed casually for a while like he did in previous years but he suddenly thought of You Shu and, for the first time, he deigned to go and see it in person, which made all the shadow guards present feel proud and flattered.

Xiao Weixin seat was placed high enough that he could clearly see the movements of everyone in the ring but his gaze always stayed on You Shu. Xie Feiyuan didn’t know why he was interested in this but he still stayed beside him, overseeing the matches.

The competition has reached a fierce stage and nearly everyone has been eliminated. Now, only the competition of the top ten is left but there is practically no suspense [regarding the outcome]. Now, You Shu only needs to wait for his fight with Ying Er to determine the final winner. He could feel Xiao Weixin constantly staring at him from where he was sitting but he didn’t dare to look up. You Shu’s was not arrogant enough to think that he was here because of him. He just thought that this was a perfect opportunity for him to show off his skills.

Finally, it was his and Ying Er’s turn to fight and the shadow guards standing below began to get excited, as if they had been injected with chicken blood⁸Another common phrase. People used to think that injecting chicken blood could treat diseases. After the injection, the person’s face would become red and feverish as if excited. So it is used a joke now. . The battle between experts is the most thrilling and every year, the battle between Ying Er and Ying San is very exciting. Ying Si even secretly pulled out a bag of peanuts and started munching on them. Ying Liu eagerly jumped up and down, cheering loudly while Ying Qi carefully observed to [gain pointers and] improve his own weaknesses and Ying Shi stared at You Shu in admiration.

Ying Er prefers direct confrontations to assassinations. His inner strength is strong and restrained. His sword moves are powerful and forceful. There are very few people who can hold out against his sword attacks and You Shu is one of them.

You Shu is more suitable for assassinations than head-on attacks. His moves are relatively less forceful and he does not have an advantage in size, but his agile movements make up for it. He moves so fast that his figure is barely more than a blur and he uses his hidden darts and silver needles with great proficiency, forcing Ying Er to be on high alert in order to avoid being hit.

While the two of them fought on the stage, Xiao Weixin, who was sitting in the audience, realized that You Shu usually went easy on him. Compared to the way he fought against Ying Er, he was treated very cordially and gently.

Although he was still beaten to the ground.

The competition ended a quarter of an hour later when Ying Er narrowly managed to land a hit and won. The result was that the overall ranking of the shadow guards have not changed too much and the top ten were still the same as before.

After the competition ended, Xiao Weixin rewarded all of them with silver taels, making You Shu delighted.

After everyone else had dispersed, Xiao Weixin stopped You Shu. Xie Feiyuan understood that the prince came because of him and was, naturally, gratified. The successor he had trained was favored by the prince and would have boundless prospects.

Soon enough, only the two of them were left in the training ground. You Shu stood there holding the silver taels in his arms. Xiao Weixin neither asked him to kneel down nor spoke to him, appearing to be lost in thought.

“Why did you not win?” After a long while, Xiao Weixin suddenly asked a seemingly random question.

You Shu’s eyes dodged slightly, but he didn’t answer: “What is my lord talking about?”

“Don’t pretend.” Xiao Weixin looked back at him, looking a little unhappy. “Your strength is not at all inferior to Ying Er. Why did you deliberately lose to him? I saw clearly that you could have definitely dodged that last move.”

You Shu held the silver and thought for a while, debating whether to tell the truth or not.

In fact, the reason is both very complicated and very simple.

“Answering my lord, this subordinate really didn’t mean to lose. It’s just that this subordinate doesn’t want to be ‘Ying Er’.”

“What do you mean?” Xiao Weixin didn’t understand.

You Shu sighed, “Don’t you think ‘Lao Er⁹Lao Er can also be used a slang for dick. ‘ sounds strange?”

Xiao Weixin: “…”

“What kind of things do you think about all the time?” Xiao Weixin looked at him helplessly.

You Shu heard the indulgence hidden in his words and lowered his head with a smile in his eyes.

“It’s windy here. Would you like to go back and rest first?” You Shu looked westwards at the setting sun, worried that the cool evening breeze would cause him to catch a cold.

The most important thing is–the cafeteria is about to open. He had to grab his meal immediately, otherwise those fierce and ruthless brothers would snatch it away¹⁰If that ain’t me and my siblings lmao. According to the rumors, tonight’s dish was duck legs. He liked the legs of all kinds of animals and couldn’t give them up.

Xiao Weixin didn’t feel cold but he didn’t know what else to do if he stayed. In the afterglow of the setting sun, he could see the red sunset reflected in the little shadow guard’s gentle eyes.

Is it gentleness…

Xiao Weixin thought uncertainly, swallowed back the “Follow me” that he was about to say, and walked away silently.

At that moment, Xiao Weixin really wanted to take him away from the Shadow Guard Camp, but reason prevailed in the end.

He couldn’t indulge in his desires. His plan for revenge hasn’t even begun yet so how could he allow himself this enjoyment?

You Shu looked at his leaving figure and somehow felt that it seemed a little desolate and lonely.

Alas, the protagonist looks so lonely and miserable. He is already twenty-four and is still single. Why hasn’t his relationship with the female lead begun yet? Could it be that the dog emperor really put her under house arrest and refused to let her go?

If there is any problem in the relationship between the protagonist and the female lead, he would be worried to the point of losing sleep.

After standing there and hesitating for a while, You Shu remembered that he had to hurry to the cafeteria to grab his meal. He immediately sprinted away, not forgetting to carefully put the money away in his pocket. Thinking that he had gotten another ten taels of silver without any effort, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

When Xiao Weixin walked to the entrance of the Shadow Guard Camp, he suddenly looked back. The vast training grounds were completely empty and that familiar figure was gone.

Not seeing that person, Xiao Weixin’s eyes filled with hesitation and struggle.

Perhaps he should restrain himself and stop paying so much attention to him.

As long as he doesn’t see him, he wouldn’t have those thoughts. Xiao Weixin continued to walk forward slowly. He realized that he always seemed to pay too much attention to the little shadow guard and he couldn’t control some of his emotions when he saw him.

But he is just a shadow guard.

He cannot let anyone influence him.

It’s just a shadow guard. If he wants to have one in the future, he could have countless of them.

Xiao Weixin stopped and looked up at the gradually darkening sky.

A lone moon hung in the sky.

• 1
  The garishly bright and tacky hair ornament You Shu picked ↩︎
• 2
  Because having a child is a very joyous thing… no other meaning. ↩︎
• 3
  Basically the plot armor and the luck that a protagonist has. It’s a common term in c-novels. ↩︎
• 4
  This is my own interpretation. The original was ‘impulse kills people’. ↩︎
• 5
  I personally feel that he meant it more as he couldn’t see himself having that kind of relationship with another man. But you can see it however you want. ↩︎
• 6
  操碎了一颗老父亲的心 is basically, an old father who worries to the point of being….heartbroken, apparently. IDK ↩︎
• 7
  The ones named till now, Ying Er till Ying Shi. ↩︎
• 8
  Another common phrase. People used to think that injecting chicken blood could treat diseases. After the injection, the person’s face would become red and feverish as if excited. So it is used a joke now. ↩︎
• 9
  Lao Er can also be used a slang for dick. ↩︎
• 10
  If that ain’t me and my siblings lmao ↩︎