Chapter 73 Came to See You

Chapter 73: Came to See You

Cheng Ge was stuck in his room by that Cui guy, spending his days lying in bed, eating and lazing about—quite comfortable, actually.

After lunch, Cheng Ge leaned on the windowsill and chatted with the guards.

"How much do you guys get paid a month? Is room and board included? Do you have year-end bonuses? Holidays off? Any hidden perks?"

The four guards exchanged glances, then quickly lowered their heads, no one dared to answer.

Cheng Ge didn't really mind. He took a bite of a cloud-patterned cake, then held the plate out to them.

"You guys want a piece? It's really good."

The four guards exchanged looks again, but still no one took it.

Cheng Ge figured they were just being shy, so he withdrew the plate.

"Kind of boring—how about I tell you a story?" He propped his chin on his arms and started muttering to himself.

"Ahem... The story is called 'After the Master Was Captured Eighty-One Times, We Finally Got Together.'"

Once upon a time, beyond the Eastern Purvavideha, there was a land called Aolai Country.

Near the country was a sea, and in the sea stood a famous mountain known as the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. This mountain was one of the Ten Continents..."

Just as Lin Nanshu stepped into Cheng Ge's courtyard, he saw the guards leaning over the windowsill with their backsides sticking out, several round heads huddled together.

"And the queen, upon seeing such delight, could not restrain her lustful urges. She parted her cherry-red lips and called out: 'Royal Brother of the Great Tang, will you not come and take the phoenix as your bride?'

The master, upon hearing this, went red from ear to ear, shy and unable to lift his head.

Zhu Bajie stood by, puckering his lips..."

Lin Nanshu: "..."

Cheng Ge narrated with vivid expression, a pot of tea at hand. Whenever he got thirsty, he'd take a sip, looking utterly content.

The plate of cakes had been polished off, and each guard had crumbs on their lips, their eyes sparkling.

"So what happened next? Did the master get together with the queen? Did he get the travel permit?"

Cheng Ge was about to continue when his eyes caught sight of Lin Nanshu. His eyes lit up. "Yuli, you're here!"

He moved to open the door to let Lin Nanshu in, only to find it locked.

No choice but to climb out of the window. The guards quickly reached out to support him, afraid he might fall.

Once on the ground, Cheng Ge trotted over to Lin Nanshu, looking up at him. "Have you eaten? Are your wounds any better?"

Lin Nanshu looked down at Cheng Ge, his face still pale, a faint curve at the corner of his mouth, like a patch of lingering snow on spring grass.

"I already ate. I just wanted to come see you."

Lin Nanshu had been so worried about Cheng Ge that he had rushed over as soon as he could get out of bed.

Cheng Ge sniffled, then suddenly grinned. "The kitchen's making wild chicken soup tonight. You should stay and try some."

With nothing to do all day, Cheng Ge's main concern was food.

Logically, given his past life, he'd had everything fine—swimming in a Maotai pool without a second thought.

But now things were different. Ever since he endured the dark, poverty-stricken days right after transmigrating into this world,

He finally understood what the elders meant when they said: Those who are full never know the pain of hunger.

When he saw the old beggar who used to sit by his fortune-telling stall being carried away by yamen runners after starving to death, a deep terror sent a chill through his soul.

Now he understood: food comes first. As long as there's enough to eat, everything else is trivial.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Nanshu found it hard to refuse Cheng Ge. He nodded practically without thinking.

Cheng Ge grinned, led Lin Nanshu to the window, hopped in, then reached out to help him in. "Hurry up," he said, lifting him by the waist.

The guards exchanged bewildered glances, still looking dazed.

Guard 1: Shouldn't we at least pretend to stop him?

Guard 2: Well, I mean... the prince only said not to let Young Master Cheng out. He didn't say anything about letting people in.

Guard 3: But I heard from the Secret Guard Chief next door that the prince has a secret crush on Young Master Cheng. If he finds out, won't he be jealous?

Guard Chief: Pfft, whatever! Don't listen to that bullshit from Li Feng. Our prince is the Great Zhou War God! Back in the barracks, when the guys stripped naked for baths, he didn't give them a second look! I swear, if the prince likes guys, I'll drink all the latrine water, I swear!

The other guards nodded: The chief's got a point.

Cheng Ge led Lin Nanshu into the room, then half-hid himself in the cabinet, rummaging like crazy like a husky tearing up the house.

Finally... he successfully unearthed a chessboard.

"Quick, quick, quick! I'm dying of boredom. Play chess with me."

Cheng Ge was going stir-crazy. In his original world, when he couldn't go out, he could at least play video games or scroll through his phone.

But in this world, besides dreaming, there was practically no entertainment.

He never used to understand why the older generation was so keen on making babies.

Now he understood. With conditions like this, if you weren't making babies, you'd be so bored you'd pick dead skin off your own toes.

Lin Nanshu paused for a moment, then asked without thinking: "Why did you put the chessboard in the cabinet?"

Cheng Ge looked up with an innocent expression. "No clue. I played a few rounds with Cui Ji before, and then the board just disappeared.

These past few days, while Cui Ji told me to rest in the room, I came across it by accident. Guess the servants put it there when tidying up."

Although Lin Nanshu found it a bit odd, he nodded anyway, set the board up, and gestured for him to go first.

Cheng Ge picked up a black stone and placed it on the board without a second thought.

And so, four hours slipped by unnoticed...

Lin Nanshu looked at the game before him, his mind slightly dazed.

He lifted his gaze to see Cheng Ge picking at his cuticle, a white stone between his fingers, unmoved for a long time.

Cheng Ge, as if sensing something, looked up at Lin Nanshu and asked harmlessly, "What's wrong?"

Lin Nanshu gently shook his head, still pinching a white piece between his fingers.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally placed it lightly on the chessboard.

As the piece fell, Lin Nanshu's gaze also settled on the board.

He stared at the interwoven black and white and said softly, "I wonder from whom Muyu learned his chess skills… such devious and ever-changing technique."

Cheng Ge took a sip of tea and replied without a second thought, "Oh, my great-grandfather taught me."

Hearing this, Lin Nanshu chose his words carefully, "Your family's ancestor must have been an unconstrained and free-hearted person."

"Oh, he was just an old freak."