Chapter 204: A Good Seed

Du Shitou felt a great deal of confusion in his heart.

He did not know which path to take next, nor did he know whom to seek out.

He thought that his affairs surely could not be hidden from these big figures, and now that he had the rare chance to speak a few words with a big figure of the Deputy Envoy level, he hesitated and said, "My father was a street performer." Many high-ranking officials and nobles felt aversion and contempt when they heard "street performer."

Carrying a sense of inferiority and restraint, he carefully observed Wen Gu's reaction.

Wen Gu said, "I know, a street performance artist."

Du Shitou:...?

This momentary bewilderment almost made him forget what he wanted to say.

Regaining his composure, Du Shitou briefly recounted what he had experienced at Huo Yuan Gu.

"I want revenge!" he said.

It was "want," not "wish," his will was very firm.

Wen Gu was silent for a moment and said, "You have merit in escorting Yao Xiaoniangzi, there will be a reward."

"I will advance you money and provisions first; you can walk around outside, look more, consider more, and tell me your thoughts in a few days." "Cherish this opportunity and think clearly about what it is you want."

Wen Gu rose to leave; he had other matters to attend to.

Du Shitou bringing Yao Shanmi out of the valley and bringing her from Jizhou to Xinzhou was a very important merit; no one could erase it.

Therefore, Wen Gu let him think carefully about what he ultimately wanted and which direction he would choose for his future path.

Du Shitou had read books and had followed a theater troupe to see the joys and sorrows, the warmth and coldness of human relationships in the marketplace.

Although he looked only ten years old, he was actually already thirteen. At thirteen in this era, in this kind of family, his mental maturity already exceeded most of his peers, and he could independently think about some things. If he wanted a peaceful and stable life, Du Shitou could use his merit to exchange for a mansion, storefronts, Money Vouchers, or even a farmstead.

He wouldn't even need to farm himself or sell goods himself; he could just collect rent. The money he got would be enough to hire a few servants, lie flat and enjoy life, with no worries about food or clothing. Even if the world outside was in chaos and Plague Ghosts were rampant, as long as Xinzhou City remained, it would not affect his comfortable life.

But!

If he wanted something else, if he wanted power, he had to consider it carefully.

Once a decision was made on what to exchange for such an important merit, it would be difficult to retract.

This was by no means an easy path!

Access to the Jingqing Public Office was strictly managed. After Pei Jing learned of Wen Gu's arrangement, he gave Du Shitou an Identity Plate, which was equivalent to an entry pass, allowing him to freely enter and exit the Public Office gate. As for Yao Shanmi.

After all, she was a member of the Yao Clan and the granddaughter of Councilor Yao; Lao Zhao certainly had to inform Councilor Yao.

As for when to tell him, that depended on the progress of the medicinal materials.

For the time being, she would stay at the Jingqing Public Office to be cared for.

Yao Shanmi was young and easier to coax information from; on her first day here, she had already told most of her escape experience.

Although the account was not very detailed, the general sequence of events could be understood.

Yao Shanmi was young, and after being attracted to the picture books, she spent every day obsessed with the picture book workshop, busy with that group of half-grown children. With things to do and people for company, she had no time to think about other things. On the other side.

After listening to Wen Gu's words, Du Shitou would go outside to look around every day.

If the people from the theater troupe were with him, he would be very willing to live that kind of stable life, without needing to arrange plays or perform, without needing to practice miscellaneous arts every day, opening a storefront or getting a farmstead, living the life he once dreamed of. But he was not reconciled now!

He definitely had to go back for revenge!

He had to stay, preferably by joining the Patrol Guard Division!

He had inquired about it; He Da, Tao San, and the others at Jingxing Fang were all once lowly commoners. That He Da was just an Idler before following Deputy Envoy Wen, but now he had prestige, his status had been raised, and he had followers. However, He Da and Tao San had families, while Du Shitou was different; only he himself remained.

He could afford to be more adventurous!

Du Shitou knew his literary talent was average; he had been to an academy to study, but the chaotic times began before he had studied for many years. Moreover, the teaching level of that academy was average, and the knowledge he mastered relied more on the extracurricular tutoring given to him by Qian Quezi. Compared to literature, Du Shitou was more inclined toward martial arts.

His father wanted to guard against him being framed, so he had him learn some survival skills, and he would practice various techniques while in the theater troupe, mainly to strengthen his body. But likewise, he certainly could not compare to the descendants of those martial merit families, nor could he compare to the Xinzhou Army that had come from the battlefield.

He absolutely could not snatch military merit on the battlefield from those people.

Without a background, neither literary nor martial skills ranked high, so his biggest advantage now was that he had protected Yao Shanmi and brought her to Xinzhou.

He did not know what kind of great secret Yao Shanmi was carrying, but judging by Deputy Envoy Wen's words, the merit was certainly not small.

Du Shitou had merit in escorting her, and with this merit, no matter where he went to work, he would not have to start from the very bottom.

After thinking seriously for a few days, upon hearing that Wen Gu had returned to Jingxing Fang, Du Shitou quickly sought him out.

"I want to join the Patrol Guard Division!"

He told Wen Gu his choice.

To step onto the path of power, this was his only choice. With a low status and being all alone, if he encountered trouble in the Patrol Guard Division, he could still seek help from Wen Gu; if he went elsewhere and encountered a predicament, he might not even have the chance to call for help. But in truth, he was still a bit confused.

Everyone said the Patrol Guard Division was a good place, a formidable place, and more conducive to revenge, so he wanted to get in.

As for what choices to make in the future, he did not understand, nor did he have a deeper perception. His past experience could not see a clearer or more distant future. Wen Gu nodded: "You may."

Du Shitou hesitated for a moment and took the initiative to ask: "Deputy Envoy Wen, what do I need to do now?"

He wanted to do something now to make his heart feel more settled.

Wen Gu smiled warmly at him and asked: "How is your body recovering?"

Escaping and traveling was very exhausting, and for a half-grown boy like Du Shitou to also have to protect a child made it even more arduous.

Du Shitou thought the other party doubted his physical ability and said anxiously: "It is already better, fully recovered!"

This was not wrong; after arriving at Jingxing Fang, he ate his fill and ate well, and since he was at the age of growing, he recovered very quickly. Furthermore, with a sense of indignation pent up in his heart, he felt he was full of energy now and just wanted to do more things!

"I have strength now!" Du Shitou wanted to find something immediately to prove himself.

Wen Gu pondered for a moment, looked at the sky outside, and said: "In that case, go split the discarded furniture in the corner of the courtyard." "Yes, I'll go right now!"

Du Shitou thought: I am good at splitting firewood; I must split it neatly, split it cleanly and efficiently, to prove that I can really get things done!

He came to the front corner of the courtyard, where there were indeed some discarded pieces of furniture piled up.

The wood material should be of very good quality, the kind commonly used by the nobility; it was just that looking at the fracture marks, it was likely destroyed when the nobles were fighting, and it could not be repaired, so it could only be split for firewood. The firewood used by the nobles for smoking food or for heating was all this kind of high-quality wood.

Looking at these furniture scraps of varying sizes, Du Shitou was already thinking about splitting them into different specifications of firewood.

The wood used by the nobility to make furniture was dense in structure and resistant to wear and chopping.

But for Du Shitou, who had been doing manual labor since childhood, it was not difficult; he possessed the technique for chopping.

The axe for chopping firewood was sharp, and once he was familiar with it, he became even more adept; he could even let his mind wander to other things while chopping.

Chopping always easily triggered the suppressed emotions deep in his heart.

The cold light flashing off the axe blade was like the gloom in his heart and the flames of hatred, condensing into a blade, chopping down time and time again.

His current ability was too weak, but even if it meant chopping firewood for five years, ten years, he would become a sharp firewood knife, a tough axe! He wanted to return to Jizhou, to chop toward that valley, to split open that long and narrow mountain path.

If back then, he had been able to chop that mountain path wider, would it have been... possible for more people to walk out?

The scene of the parting in the valley kept surfacing in his mind.

He also thought of Du Ba's high-and-mighty, malicious words in front of the temple.

And he thought of Du Shiyi's step-by-step pressure...

It seemed as if Qian Quezi's words to him echoed in his mind again: "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease."

"The state of the world changes too fast; we are just like dust, blown here and there."

Everyone just wants to live, so why is it so hard?!

A layer of fierce, wolf-like baleful energy covered Du Shitou's eyes.

When he heard movement nearby and suddenly turned his head to look, the expression in his eyes had not yet had time to fade, and he glared fiercely just like that. When he came to his senses and saw who it was, Du Shitou panicked instantly.

A young man stood a few steps away; although the casual clothes he wore were not conspicuous and there was a hint of fatigue on his face, the gaze he cast was deep and majestic, and the sharp, noble aura of someone who had long held a high position and wielded great power could not be concealed. Du Shitou had this much discernment, and precisely because of this, he was panicking uncontrollably now. Still holding the axe, he hurriedly let go, intending to apologize and bow. Yu He heard the commotion and came out to look, very surprised: "Chief Pei, you're back?"

Pei Jun withdrew his gaze: "Mm, is Wen Gu inside?"

Yu He replied: "He is, Deputy Envoy Wen only just returned not long ago."

So that was why Deputy Envoy Wen returned today, looking as if he were waiting for someone; it turned out he was waiting for Pei Jun.

In the corner, Du Shitou stared at the ground, not daring to lift his eyes, let alone make a sound, trying his best to minimize his presence, terrified of displeasing the noble person. He knew who this was now: the chief official of the Patrol Guard Division!

His heart grew increasingly uneasy.

He had heard that this person was from a noble family, a truly powerful person who held real authority!

His own behavior just now was certainly inappropriate.

If it had been Du Ba in front of him just now, his offensive gaze and the fact that he was holding an axe would surely have provoked the other party, and he would have been branded with a crime and beaten to death. Du Shitou's mind was full of negative thoughts, and he huddled silently in the corner, not even daring to stand straight, his back covered in cold sweat.

He did not know how much time had passed; when Pei Jun left after discussing matters with Wen Gu, Du Shitou was still huddled there in the same way, not daring to look up. But he could feel the gaze the other party left on him.

When Pei Jun left, he merely glanced toward that side, as if seeing a vigilant young beast shrinking back into its den.

Before coming, he had already learned the news about the medicinal herbs, and Lao Zhao intended to transfer him back; he also wanted to find Wen Gu as soon as possible to confirm the details of the news, so his journey had been somewhat hurried. This news was, for him and for the entire Pei Family, absolutely excellent news!

Even a steady character like Pei Jun could not help but feel fortunate and ecstatic.

If the medicinal herbs were real, and the herbs brought back truly contained the few types needed, it was no exaggeration to say that this was equivalent to saving half of Pei Jun's life! Regarding Du Shitou, this half-grown boy, Pei Jun had already learned of his background and history.

This time, returning to Xinzhou City, Pei Jun had already made plans on the way to Jingxing Fang.

With the Pei Family's resources, they certainly would not let the other party suffer a loss. If the other party wanted wealth, he could give wealth! If he wanted to hold a leisurely post, he could also give a leisurely post! But now, Pei Jun had some other thoughts.

"Looking back like a wolf and hesitating like an owl, soaring like a kite to the heavens." He was a good seedling!

A person with such a temperament would not be liked by the mainstream. But Pei Jun was different; instead, he felt a desire to cherish talent!

At that moment when Du Shitou looked over holding the axe, that ambition to climb upward and the ferocity to tear at prey—no matter what drove these things, Pei Jun appreciated this type of person! After Pei Jun left, hearing that Wen Gu was looking for him again, Du Shitou went over trembling, flustered and at a loss.

Wen Gu was thinking about things.

Fu Juan was out executing a mission and might not be able to return for a month or two.

Things on Huang Gushi's side were already on the right track and did not require Pei Jun to watch over them personally; someone else could supervise instead.

With Pei Jun transferred back, once the medicinal herbs were obtained, if those few medicinal ingredients were among them, he could better recuperate in the city... without delaying the handling of official business. Wen Gu had other plans with Lao Zhao and would not be staying at the Patrol Guard Division all day, so let Pei Jun stay here to hold the fort.

Pei Jun had a strong desire for control over power; by transferring him back, handling official business while recuperating, perhaps once his mood improved, he would recover even faster? Seeing Du Shitou come over, Wen Gu knew what the other party was thinking just by looking at his expression, but he did not offer much comfort, instead saying directly: "Patrol Guard Envoy Pei has given you a spot as a Clerk in the Main Courtyard of the Patrol Guard Division."

Du Shitou's initial overwhelming panic seemed to be suddenly split apart; his expression went blank, and he stood there as still as Mutou. He had been stunned silly by the news!

It was as if a giant pancake had been dropped into his arms, and he suspected he had been hit so hard he was hallucinating.

Wen Gu continued to ask: "What are your thoughts?"

Du Shitou stammered: "Ah? Th... thoughts?"

Wen Gu said: "Do you want to go there?"

Du Shitou replied immediately: "Go! I'll go!"

His thoughts were not yet clear; at this moment, he was only replying on instinct.

Just like seeing the pancake about to break free, he hurriedly gathered his arms and held it tight!

Wen Gu smiled and said: "Alright, there are still some procedures to handle; I will have someone take you tomorrow to process the identity documents. Besides the spot as a Clerk in the Patrol Guard Division, there will be other rewards as well, so you need not worry." They talked for a while longer.

When Du Shitou came out, his expression was dazed.

As if his soul had left his body, he floated all the way back to his room.

At this time, he slightly regained his senses and felt that he had been too eager in front of Deputy Envoy Wen just now, and his performance had been poor.

He gulped down half a pot of tea.

Once he had completely regained his senses, Du Shitou calmed down and carefully recalled every detail of the day.

Qian Quezi had told him before: Scholars, especially those high-ranking, formidable-looking literati, might hide deep meanings in every word and every instruction! Du Shitou pondered this now and realized.

Perhaps... could it be... that Deputy Envoy Wen had arranged this intentionally?