Chapter 1178: Ill be a mad and demented fool (2/2)

Gu Qishao’s smile was more dazzling than these fireworks. How much longer could he remain radiant? How much longer could he stay with them?

Long Feiye stared at the fireworks just as Gu Beiyue watched them from the entrance of his tent. He knew that Gu Qishao had to be nearby doing the same thing.

--

Currently, Gu Qishao was sitting on a large boulder atop a small hill behind Rear Camp. Along, he munched on a mantou while watching the fireworks show in the distance. His long, narrow eyes reflected their burst and glow.

After polishing off his food, the fireworks ended as well. “Gorgeous,” he muttered to himself, “It’s a pity they finish so fast.”

He lied down and gave a stretch, extending his limbs into a “大” character. The billowing black robes covered everyone part of his body except his face, which was as seductively charming as always.

In the wake of the fireworks, the world seemed still and dark. Nothing but the whistling of the north wind remained. Gradually, it blew up the corners of his dark robes and woke him up from his reverie. Amusing, he began to sing a folk song at the top of his lungs, one that Han Yunxi and the rest had listened to and laughed at.

“Singing folk songs, folk songs are like spring river waters, a song here and a reunion there…”[2]

But as he sang, his rugged voice shifted with a change in lyrics.

“Thinking of a beauty, missing her day and night;

A beauty is like a flower amongst the clouds[3]

I can’t dream of returning to the southern mountains,

I laugh at life, but it laughs at me,

Who cares who ends up as Cloud Realm’s king

I’ll be a mad and demented fool on my own…”

Nobody was there to hear his song and smile, but Gu Qishao kept singing at the top of his lungs, easy and carefree. He used the tune of the folk song like those strongmen in the mountains, hollering out his true feelings in music.

In this world, his existence was cruel, pure, and real.

Gu Qishao didn’t want to go anywhere during his last two months of life. He wanted to stay put and watch the smoking rising from the roof of Rear Camp during the day, the shining starlight during the night. Then he would quietly spread his roots into the ground and give bloom to flowers more radiant than any in the mountains…

--

Early next morning.

Gu Beiyue had sat in his room for an entire night before coming to a decision. He found Chu Xifeng before he left and told him to send a letter to Mu Linger to assist him in Medical City.

He never mentioned Gu Qishao in the letter, only that there was a patient currently on a treatment plan. Without saying goodbye, he used the fastest speed possible to get to the outpost hundreds of li away.

Long Feiye had watched over Han Yunxi all night until she woke up. Pretending that everything was fine, he gave her his usual morning kiss on the forehead and asked what she wanted to eat.

Chu Xifeng soon arrived to report. “Your Highness, princess, Doctor Gu received an emergency summons and rushed back to Medical City.”

“What kind of emergency?” Han Yunxi asked quickly.

“I think they found some sort of medicine. This subordinate isn’t clear on the details,” Chu Xifeng replied.

Before Han Yunxi could pursue the matter, another shadow guard arrived with Ning Jing’s letter! She opened it up and exclaimed in joy, “Long Feiye, Ning Jing is coming! She’s bringing Tang Li with her and her teeth are basically fine!”

“Excellent,” Long Feiye also missed his little brother.

That very afternoon, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. The storm grew bigger and didn’t stop until the third day of the new year.

The weather was bitterly cold. Perhaps the temperatures were to blame, but Han Yunxi began to have trouble breathing. Fourth Young Miss Ren looked after her constantly with Long Feiye close behind.

Soon afterwards, Long Feiye received another letter from Gu Beiyue. Gu Qishao hadn’t gone back to Medical City, but was living near the Rear Camp. Gu Beiyue had waited a whole day at the outpost before he found out and soon doubled back to track Gu Qishao down.

But Gu Qishao refused to leave, giving Gu Beiyue no choice but to keep him company while ordering Lil Thing and the medicines from Medicine City to be brought over here.

Long Feiye didn’t ask where they were living and neither did Gu Beiyue tell.

Although spring was on the way, the temperatures kept getting colder. News from Northern Li spoke of an especially cold spring that led to snow disasters, especially far up north. Thanks to the snow blocking the roads, many villages were trapped without food or supplies, and massive famine ensued.

The reality was a slap in the face to the Baili and south central factions. Thank goodness Ning Cheng hadn’t advanced his troops, or else they would have suffered innumerable losses.

This day, Long Feiye received Ning Cheng’s letter. Mass outbreaks of disasters had spread throughout Northern Li’s northern regions, starving the civilians and livestock to death. For the sake of preserving the military’s grain reserves, the Northern Li emperor kept refusing to distribute aid to his people. Instead, it was Ning Cheng who openly requested for more supplies so he could seize this chance to release his troops!

As soon as Long Feiye finished reading the letter, Chu Xifeng suddenly barged into the room.

“Your Highness, the princess is going to give birth! The princess is going to give birth!”

1. The baby’s gender isn’t specified yet, but writing “the little fellow” over and over again is repetitive, so I’m taking charge and adopting “he!” HYX wants a boy anyways. :)

2. Gu Qishao’s folk song is actually adapted from the 1960 film Liu Sanjie (Third Sister Liu) based on the story of the real life folk singer Liu Shanghua, who lived during China’s Song Dynasty. This also indirectly hints that the timeline of PGC’s “past” is located either during or after the Song Dynasty. :3 There are many covers and adaptations of the movie’s theme song, “Folk Songs are Like Spring River Waters,” including this odd East-West orchestral arrangement on YouTube that includes (badly translated) English subtitles. The link in the text also leads to a simple version of the song with strings accompaniment.

3. In Chinese poetry, “a beauty” (美人) can be used as a symbol for one’s wishes/desires/goals.