Daomu Biji: A Thousand Faces

I thought I was going to die too.

My name is Master Si Yu, but I have never had any respect for him in my heart.

His gaze is superficial obscenity, or deep conspiracy... It just makes me feel like being stared at by a poisonous snake, and one day I will be bitten severely by his fangs.

But I live by inhaling his schemes and venom. If he dies today, I am afraid there will be no place for me in the world.

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That night I had a dream, dreaming that I saw Si Yu for the first time.

His appearance is indeed [-]% deceptive. Back then, he was just a young man with a weak crown, with piercing phoenix eyes, wearing a purple clothes but wearing a sense of grace. The color and light are very beautiful.

He held out his hand to me and asked me with a smile, "Come with me, how about it?"

I stood there and watched him silently for a long time before reaching out and handing it over to him. When I touched the cold jade finger in his hand, I suddenly asked, "Why did you let go?"

Then I woke up with a start.

When I woke up, I was neither in the sky prison nor in the underworld.

High bed soft pillows, gold silk bedding?

Before I could react, I heard a voice from the side ask me, "Are you Thousand Faces?"

I followed the sound and saw Fu Qing's words.

Speaking of which... I am not unfamiliar with this person.

In the past, when the master came back from the court, he mentioned this name the most. When he dropped the teacup, accompanied by the sound of porcelain shattering, he gritted his teeth and cursed viciously, "One day, Fu, Qing, Ci... Qianmian, I want you to kill him in the most vicious and cruel way, and cut him into pieces to eliminate the hatred in my heart!"

"Yes."

But I noticed that the master said "someday", and I knew in my heart that this person was still someone that neither the master nor I could touch.

Fu Qing's Ci is the Taifu of the current dynasty. It is said that he is as gentle as jade, talented and high-spirited, and is quite famous in the court and the public.

In the past, the first emperor chose to let him and his master assist the government together, probably because he wanted the two of them to restrain each other.

It's just that since this person is able to restrain the master to this point, he must be... quite clever.

What kind of scheming is playing with this kind of person, but playing tricks.

I said truthfully, "Yes."

"No one knows your true face, I have found a corpse at random in Prince Yu's mansion, and identified it as Young Master Thousand Faces..."

I stared at him wide-eyed, wondering.

He suddenly smiled, "Qianmian, from now on, you will recognize me as master, how about it?"

It's just changing from one person's dog to another person's dog, a dog is still a dog, no big deal.

But I couldn't help but sneer in my heart, these high-ranking people, the nobles, always like to ask me how I am, do I actually have a choice?

But I remained calm and said respectfully, "Yes, master."

Fu Qingci asked again, "Since I am your master, can you let me see your true face?"

I pursed my lips, just wondering if he would believe me, "I have no face, Master."

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After that, I was ordered to always serve by Fu Qingci's side.

After facing each other day and night, they soon realized the difference between him and Si Yu...

For example, he would not ask me to pretend to be a woman from Tianxianglou for him to make fun of, nor would he ask me to assassinate others by disguise.

He only asked me to be by his side to protect his safety, never leaving him.

The current situation in the court is changing rapidly and unpredictable. Once King Yu dies, it is naturally impossible to implicate the nine clans, but implicate a whole party.Today's imperial edicts are promulgated one after another, and they are all iron-blooded and merciless.

Everyone knows that the young emperor is just a puppet and has no real power in his hands.

Perhaps the first emperor really wanted to support his own son—it was a strange thing to say, he put the queen into the cold palace and uprooted the queen's family, but he wanted to support the blood of this family.

Or maybe the first emperor thought of his young age, so he got rid of the internal worries of his relatives early for this child, but he also lost the support of his relatives early on, sitting on the dragon chair seemingly supremely, but like a duckweed, alone and helpless .

Some people even suggested that Fu Qingci could be the second King Yu. Now that there is no King Yu to restrain him, he is the only one who can cover the sky with only one hand.

But Fu Qingci was only thinking about how to control the power of the court and the central government in Si Hua's body.

When he talks about the little emperor, he always looks like a baby, and his eyes are full of tenderness and worry.

Naturally, I can only stay by his side and be his most loyal listener.

"Years ago, the late emperor entrusted him to me. At that time, he was just a child. Yuxue was cute and well-behaved. I personally became his tutor. He always called me tutor. As time passed, I almost forgot about him." He is the future Ninth Five-Year Sovereign, the Lord of the World, and I only treat him as a lovely child and my most beloved student."

"I taught him a lot, the power of the emperor, governing the world, and even exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, the suffering of the people..."

"It's just that he is still too young, I dare not teach him those methods of killing..."

I couldn't help slandering silently in my heart, at Si Hua's age, Si Yu had used many schemes and tricks, and ruined the lives of many people.

But it sounds like the two of them have a deep relationship between master and apprentice, and they are happy.

The royal family also has real feelings, right?

Fu Qingci later went to see Si Hua in the palace, and I followed him as usual, pretending to be an ordinary bodyguard.

That was the first time I set foot in the imperial city, with red walls and green tiles, and the flying ridges of the bucket arches. At a glance, there are countless palaces layered on top of each other, deep and shallow, like a maze-like cage.

Fu Qingci went straight to the main hall with ease, while I stayed outside, surrounded by big internal guards who stood like wooden posts with expressionless faces.

I don't know how long that day has passed, and the people in the palace said something. As soon as Fu Qingci came out, he waved for someone to tell him to go down. When we returned to the mansion in a sedan chair, the people in the mansion had already Got the news, tidied up and opened up.

I was slightly taken aback, "This is..."

Fu Qing said, "The emperor wants me to go to the border and leave soon."

I glanced at him, and there was a slight smile on his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

With Fu Qingci's pale and weak appearance of a scholar, he can actually go to the battlefield?

When they went to the border a few months later, they found out that the three armies regarded him as a military advisor, and if he was just making suggestions in the camp and pointing out mountains and rivers, he would be quite suitable for this person.

Bianguan has a style completely different from that of the Imperial Capital. The desert is long and windy, and the yellow sand is thousands of miles away. Although it is somewhat desolate and lonely, it also has a magnificent style.

The Xiliang family invaded the border from time to time, and they also wanted to leave this place and go straight to the rumored prosperous land of flowers and willows, a gentle and rich town.

Standing on the city tower and looking at this place, I felt some strange and strange emotion in my heart.

Accompanied by Fu Qingci as usual at night, he was carefully examining the marching map on the case, and suddenly asked without raising his head, "Qianmian, do you want to go to the battlefield?"

I froze, "Huh?"

He chuckled lightly, raised his eyelashes, and said, "You have extraordinary martial arts skills, why don't you go to the battlefield to serve the country?"

I almost suspected that he was making fun of me. A person like me has no face, no identity, not even a name, so he should be shameless.

Just listen to him continue, "I can give you a name and identity, well, you are my cousin..."

"Owner……"

He interrupted me, his eyes were shining brightly, and he said with great interest, "Fu Qingya, this is the name I gave you. You are ordered to go to the camp to get your military uniform. If you don't do something , I will take back your name."

"Yes, master..."

"Call me brother."

"Yes... brother."

I really don't want to play this kind of brother and friend game with him.

He smiled happily, "Good boy."

"..."

"However, which face should you use?" Fu Qingci thought again.

I suddenly asked, "Master, what face do you like?"

Now he looked at me blankly.

Seeing him like that, I felt a little hot on my face, and I didn't know what I was asking.

"Is that so?" But I still raised my sleeves to my eyebrows, and when I lowered them, I changed my face.

"It's still like this?"

"Such?"

Finally, Fu Qingci finally came to his senses, pointed at me, and ordered, "Stop, this is the one."

He looked straight at me, still in a daze.

When I walked out of his tent, I was also at a loss.

I still remember the name my mother gave me before, but this is the first time someone gave me a name after I became Qianmian.

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No one in the army used bronze mirrors, and it was a long time after I marched to a stream that I saw my own face through the water.

When I saw the face clearly, I couldn't help punching down hard, smashing the water and the face.

At that time, Yi Rong didn't even know which faces were changed, but who would have guessed that it was this face.

Why did Fu Qingci choose this face...

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That night I took the voucher given by Fu Qingci to pick up my things, and was assigned to a tent, lying on the couch, surrounded by a group of old men snoring and grinding their teeth, tossing and turning, I couldn’t sleep, but my heart was inexplicable agitation.

The next day, I took up various weapons and gestured around on the school field, and was finally assigned to the archers.

Pulling out the bow and arrow, squinting his eyes, he fired ten arrows in a row on the school field, hitting them repeatedly, and even several arrows shot impartially on the arrow shaft that hit the red heart before, smashing the arrowhead, and then fell suddenly.

This one-handed archery technique only benefited from the hidden weapons learned in the past.

Everyone present clapped their hands and applauded. Some even called me a sharpshooter and came forward to hook me up.

So people in the ranks are the simplest, as long as you have the ability, as long as you can fight the enemy, everyone will respect and love you.

It's just that the ten arrows really hurt, there was no finger guard, and the bow string was cut on the finger, retracted and released, like a sharp knife, cutting out fine meat and blood foam.

I hid my bruised hands behind my back, chatted and laughed with the people in the barracks, went to eat together, and then returned to my tent.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Fu Qingci standing inside.

"Master, why are you here?"

Fu Qingci looked back at me, bent his eyes, and said with a smile, "I saw it today, your arrow skills are very good."

"Master praises..."

"Here, this is for you."

I stretched out my hand obediently, not knowing what he was going to give me. When I retracted my hand, I saw something lying quietly in the palm of my hand—it was a finger cot made of brocade silk.

"If it's worn out, you can ask me for it again. My younger brother, Fu Qingci, can't even afford finger guards."

"Thank you, master."

Fu Qingci gave me a dissatisfied look.

I belatedly added, "Brother..."

After the first month's military salary was paid, I went to buy myself a set of finger guards.The ones given by Fu Qing Ci were put away with him.

Sometimes I feel that the axioms in this world are actually very simple. If someone treats me well, I just need to treat him well.

It's just that in the past, there was never such a person...

Staying at the border, the soldiers and horses are hesitant, and the time is short, and it will be five years in a blink of an eye.

The years of Rong Ma, although difficult, were also simple.

Xiliang's iron cavalry were fierce and brave, and fought Zhuxia's size and size no less than a hundred times, but they were indomitable.

Even I have made a lot of military exploits here, and I don't know what Fu Qingci said for me in the memorial. The little emperor personally ordered me to be a school captain.

At that time, I didn't know when I would be able to return to the dynasty as a teacher.

But the days at the border are quite pleasant. After being practiced every day, eating meat and drinking in big bowls with a group of elders, or going into battle to kill the enemy under the order of Fu Qingci, the sword is immediately...

There was never such a happy and carefree time in my life.

A few days later, it coincided with civil strife in Xiliang, and Fu Qingci finally caught the loophole.

"The emperor of Xiliang is critically ill, and his sons are fighting for the throne. The eldest prince wants to marry his biological sister to a minister in the court..."

"Here is the problem. We reported in detail in Xiliang that the current general of Xiliang, He Lan, has an affair with the princess. It is said that the emperor of Xiliang once promised to wait for him to return to the court and betroth his daughter to him, but now He can't let him go back on what he says."

"We can make a big fuss in it, just look at how this article is done..."

I looked at Fu Qingci's thoughtful expression, and said in a deep voice, "Actually, I have an idea..."

My idea made Fu Qingci frown, but he also nodded, only sighed, and said, "Be careful in everything."

The portrait of Princess Xiliang was sent by Xizuo. It is not the first time for me to see the portrait disguised as a person, but it is not easy.After all, a person's demeanor and temperament must be seen with his own eyes in order to imitate.

Fortunately, this Xiliang princess has always covered her face with a veil, which can cover up many flaws.

I gathered another dozen or so soldiers, disguised them as Xiliang guards, and then spent one night leading them around behind the mountain, pretending to be coming from the north. He went straight into the Xiliang barracks.

A hundred steps away, he was stopped by the guards of the Xiliang military camp, "Who is here!"

I looked up and shouted, "I'm Lan Yan, ask He Lan to come out and see me."

The soldiers whispered to each other, but they didn't know what to say, and one of them ran into the camp.

I rode my horse and waited in the wind. I was still thinking about how warm the Xiliang people's clothes were. They were all made of animal fur. They wore bunts and were clean and neat, making them easy to walk around.

There was a lot of noise in the barracks. Someone strode out of the barracks. Before I could see his face clearly, I was hugged off the horse. The embrace was warm and dry. He called out, "Lan Yan..."

"He Lan, I know it's wrong to sneak up to you at a time like this, but I'm here hoping you can save me..."

In the past, I fought He Lan frequently on the battlefield, but I seldom saw his face clearly under the armor. Now it seems that he is a handsome and tall young man with open eyebrows, but there is a shallow scar on the left side of his face.

"Lan Yan," he stretched out his hand to shake my hand, as if he was relieved, and asked, "Why did you say that?"

"Brother Huang, you want to marry me to Jin Yang..."

He Lan frowned fiercely, "What? Doesn't he know..."

"Father is critically ill, but in fact, they have already planned an order for you to go back. They fought openly and secretly, but they reached an agreement on this point, and they all secretly suppressed this order. You belong to Father, and they are not sure about Father. Who will you help, who will you help..."

"What's more, you hold the military power. Once you go back, don't these soldiers have to go back with you, they are afraid that you will endanger their status..."

"Even... self-proclaimed king."

"Absurd!" He Lan scolded coldly, and said, "I, He Lan, was lucky to be appreciated by His Majesty back then, so naturally I will only obey His Majesty's orders wholeheartedly, and I have no other intentions."

"He Lan, come back with me to see if Father is okay, I'm afraid that if you don't go back, it will be too late..."

I lowered my eyelashes, and tears welled up in my eyes.

He Lan stepped forward and hugged my shoulders, gently wiped away my tears, and said softly, "Okay, I will hurry back as soon as possible, and hope that the king is safe... I will also... ask him to marry us."

Hearing that He Lan has been bothered by court affairs recently, he didn't seem to notice any difference in Lan Yan in front of him.

I felt embarrassed when I heard the words, but in my heart...but I really couldn't continue acting.

These little children's emotions are still derived from the words I have imitated, and I have experienced it myself, which is a completely different experience.

Fu Qingci had already arranged to break this situation...why didn't he come?

The tent was full of tenderness and sweetness. When He Lan pinched my chin and was about to kiss me through the veil, someone outside the tent finally announced loudly, "Report, General, Zhuxia's army is attacking at night!"

"These Zhuxia thieves!"

He Lan cursed, got up and strode out, then turned her head and said softly to me, "Yan'er, wait for me here."

I waited for a while, guessing that he might have gone far away, so I took out the token I had prepared from my waist and kept it, and then slipped out of the camp tent quietly.

All the way back to Zhuxia's barracks secretly, and as soon as he entered the camp, he saw Fu Qingci was there.

"you……"

He hurried forward and asked, "How?"

"Master, you're done. When He Lan saw the token, he naturally thought that Lan Yan had been kidnapped by the First Prince's people. Maybe he would return to the capital tomorrow."

It's also thanks to Fu Qingci's meticulous work that he actually holds this token that only a big shot in Xiliang would have.

He looked at me quietly, "I'm asking how you are?"

I was taken aback, "It's okay."

"then you……"

Fu Qing probably wanted to ask me why I put myself in such a mess. In fact, I stumbled all the way and tried my best to support myself and walked back. At the same time, I had to hide from others. Stealth has become so difficult.

"get out……"

He didn't move.

It was wrong to use such a tone to the master, I didn't say anything, I could only climb back to my bed and fell down.

The whole person curled up into a ball, and all the bones in his body were rattling.

I don't know when Fu Qingci approached. At this time, I didn't even have the strength to draw my sword, and it was impossible to point the sword at him.

I saw him bent down, stretched out his hand, but gently pulled me into his arms, and leaned against my ear and asked, "Does it hurt?"

I gritted my teeth, "It doesn't hurt."

He asked reluctantly, "Does it hurt?"

"Do not……"

"It hurts?"

"A little……"

"It hurts?"

"pain!"

I finally confessed loudly that he hugged me tighter and hurt me even more, but his embrace was extremely warm, and in his embrace, in the end, I actually... fell asleep.

After waking up, the first thing he saw was Fu Qingci's smile, he said with a smile, "Qing Ya, He Lan has already retreated..."

"Look, your disguise is not for killing people, but for saving people."

"You don't know how many people you saved, you are Zhuxia's hero."

Fu Qing Ci, Fu Taifu.

"Master, are you addicted to teaching?"

"Huh?" He looked puzzled.

Otherwise, how could you have saved me, taught me how to be a normal person, taught me how to be a soldier for the country and the people, taught me how... to save people.

Before this, I never thought that I would meet someone like Fu Qingci in this world.

"Fu Qingci..." I whispered his name, this was the first time.

"Ok?"

"Fu Qing Ci..."

"I'm here."

Why couldn't I meet this person earlier.

For the first time in my life, I had a weird idea, if only I had a face that really belonged to me, then I could stand in front of him openly, tell him my name, and let him remember me.