Chapter 26: Who Writes Diaries Anyway?

"Is the force ahead that of Army Master Da Ye Shuang?"

After bidding farewell to Hulü Jin, Li Shuang led his men, preparing to return to Ma Yi.

En route, however, they were intercepted by a contingent of Xiongnu cavalry.

"Who are you?"

"Our master wishes to invite the Army Master to rest briefly at our tribe, to express gratitude for the Army Master's shelter."

The speaker spoke fluent Xianbei, yet by their attire and appearance, they were Xiongnu.

Hearing this, Li Shuang recalled Gao Ang's mention of those three thousand elite Xiongnu cavalry; seeing them today, he confirmed Gao Ang had not lied.

The Xiongnu cavalry before him, whether in soldier quality or equipment standard, far surpassed the various declining northern frontier military-merit tribes on this steppe.

One could even say they were far stronger than the Imperial Guards within Luoyangcheng.

"She Di Gan, your tribe is a great one, and you are a figure capable of serving as a guard in Luoyangcheng; do you know their origins?"

She Di Gan, standing nearby, said softly:

"I only know they are a small tribe attached to the forces of Poluhan; their leader is a famous great shaman on the steppe, incredibly efficacious, named Dugu Ru."

"A great shaman?"

Li Shuang immediately took interest; facing those few Xiongnu knights, he clasped his hands and said:

"Then we shall trouble you!"

Pingcheng.

Within a dim chamber shrouded in swirling smoke, Yuan Shen knelt on the ground.

Opposite him sat the great shaman Liu Lingzhu.

At this moment, Liu Lingzhu wore a solemn expression, muttering incantations, conducting some sort of prayer ritual.

The Guangyang Prince, usually imposing and majestic, raised his head, his face full of anxiety and fear, looking exactly like a child who had erred and awaited punishment.

Liu Lingzhu held a willow branch dipped in dew, waving it continuously in the air.

Yuan Shen had participated in such prayer rituals far too many times; familiar with every detail, almost the moment Liu Lingzhu set down the willow branch in his hand, he spoke up in panic:

"What does the Heavenly God say?"

Liu Lingzhu sighed in relief and spoke slowly:

"The Heavenly God says that as long as the Great King sincerely repents, honestly writes down the faults he has committed, places them in this box, and then burns them for the Heavenly God, once the Heavenly God confirms you have concealed nothing, He will forgive you!"

"Good!"

Liu Lingzhu closed his eyes; Yuan Shen took a sheet of silk, wrote many lines, and while writing, occasionally glanced at Liu Lingzhu to ensure he was not peeking.

After finishing, Yuan Shen quickly placed the silk into the box before him; only then did Liu Lingzhu slowly open his eyes.

"In that case, I shall begin."

Yuan Shen watched as this box before him was thrown into the fire basin; only after the box was burned to ashes before his eyes did he speak slowly:

"With this, the god will forgive me, right?"

Liu Lingzhu nodded.

"As long as the Great King has concealed nothing from the god, then he will receive forgiveness."

Yuan Shen took out a gold ingot, handed it to Liu Lingzhu, then quickly exited the dim chamber, his body feeling somewhat lighter.

Watching Yuan Shen's back, Liu Lingzhu, with a hint of mockery, reached under the table where the box had just been placed and twisted gently.

The mechanism turned; the silk, which should have been burned along with the box, now appeared in Liu Lingzhu's hand.

Liu Lingzhu looked at the text on the silk and smiled slightly:

"So this Yuan Shen also has a secret affair with the Princess of the Prince of Chengyang, Yuan Hui!"

"The Heavenly God says that as long as the Army Master sincerely repents, honestly writes down the faults he has committed, places them in this box, and then burns them for the Heavenly God, once the Heavenly God confirms you have concealed nothing, He will forgive you!"

Inside the great tent, Dugu Ru, who did not wear the red jacket as usual but had changed into shaman robes, radiated a sense of holiness!

She held the willow branch, looked at Li Shuang before her, and spoke slowly.

"Is it true?"

"Yes!"

"Then I shall write?"

"Write away; these words are the bridge between the Army Master and the god; I will not look."

"But..."

Seeing Li Shuang still somewhat hesitant, Dugu Ru asked:

"Does the Army Master have any other concerns?"

"The paper you gave is somewhat insufficient!"

"..."

After the entire procedure ended, Li Shuang sighed in relief and looked at Dugu Ru.

"The Holy Maiden's method is indeed effective; with this, I feel much lighter."

"Being able to resolve the Army Master's doubts is my honor."

"Then I shall continue to trouble you."

Li Shuang stood up and walked out; Dugu Ru placed her hand under the table, turning the mechanism.

But since too much paper was inserted, the mechanism seemed stuck.

Dugu Ru became somewhat angry, cursing loudly.

"I want to see exactly how many wicked deeds you young man have done; ten sheets of paper are actually not enough to write!"

"Holy Maiden..."

With a shout, Li Shuang turned back and returned.

Dugu Ru hurriedly sat back in her original seat, tidying the disheveled strands of hair on her person to make herself look less wretched.

"Holy Maiden, what has happened to you?"

"I just finished communicating with the Heavenly God and consumed too much spiritual energy. Army Lord, why have you returned?"

"I simply wish to ask: is it true that the tribe elders said they would provide free meals for me and my subordinates after I complete the ceremony?"

A smile that was awkward yet polite appeared on Dugu Ru's face.

"That is correct!"

"Then I am relieved!"

Night fell.

Dugu Ru held her head, her face twisted in discomfort.

Beside her, the Tribe Elder looked at the ten-odd pages of repentance written by Li Shuang. Old in years, he spoke out involuntarily as he read.

"Since childhood, my family was poor, yet I vowed to uphold the world and bring benefit to the common people."

"At three years old, I helped my neighbor's aunt wash dates..."

"At five years old, I led the orphans in my family who had no grain to the fields to catch frogs..."

"At ten years old, because of my excellent conduct, I was unanimously elected by Taiping Stockade and dozens of surrounding stockades as the number one good person in Jin Prefecture..."

"At twelve years old, I began my enterprise; over four years, I transformed Taiping Stockade into the first well-off village in all of Shanxi..."

"Looking back on my turbulent life of over ten years, although I have achieved small accomplishments, there are still many shortcomings. The insignificant progress brought by my small personal step is far from leading all living beings under heaven to take a great step forward. For this, I feel deep regret."

"I have not done enough for all living beings under heaven!"

"I hope the God will forgive me and allow me, in the rest of my life, to continue seeking development and happiness for all living beings under heaven."

After the Tribe Elder finished reading, a tear unknowingly flowed down his face.

"I never thought that in this current world, there would still be an Army Lord such a great good person!"

Dugu Ru raised her head, looked at the Tribe Elder lost in emotion, and could not help but retort:

"Has water entered your brain?"

"A Ru, what do you mean by this?"

"This Da Ye Shuang is nothing but a thorough little rascal!"

At this moment, Dugu Ru felt somewhat emotional; why should she waste such precious time in her life accompanying this little rascal for an entire day?

More importantly, she was deeply pained by the grain that Li Shuang and those under his command had eaten for free.

"It is time to increase the intensity for him!"