N-A-A Chapter 906: Yi Xiaochuan has changed so much!
Chapter 906: Yi Xiaochuan has changed so much!
Gao Yao looked at Yi Xiaochuan, who was lying on horseback, covered in blood but with a blazing gaze, and was the first to speak. His voice still carried that condescending scrutiny, but with a hint of indescribable meaning than usual: "Xiaochuan..." He paused, as if sizing him up carefully, "I didn't expect that your transformation is truly remarkable."
Yi Xiaochuan reined in his warhorse, his chest rising and falling slightly, but a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. There was no trace of old friendship in that smile, only cold hatred and the tenacity after going through hardships: "Haha, there's nothing I can do." His voice was hoarse but clear, "I was forced to do this by you!"
"Force?" Gao Yao, as if he'd heard something amusing, a hint of sarcasm crossed his face. "What are you saying? I still say the same thing. I'm willing to give you this opportunity." He waved a finger at the raging battlefield around him, his tone as if offering a great favor. "Come and join me, and I can guarantee you a prosperous and prosperous future. I can even make you second only to the emperor! I can also find a way to remove the poison from your body and restore you to your former self. What do you think? This offer is a thousand times better than risking your life by Xiang Yu's side."
Gao Yao spoke these words smoothly, as if truly cherishing his talent and recruiting it. But the cold murderous intent deep in his eyes never faded in the slightest. He knew Yi Xiaochuan too well, and he knew that Yi Xiaochuan knew him just as well. This recruitment was fake, a test, and moreover, a condescending psychological offensive and mockery.
Yi Xiaochuan's reaction was completely within his expectations. The sneer on Yi Xiaochuan's face grew even more pronounced, and the hatred in his eyes almost tangible: "Gao Yao, put away your hypocritical tricks. The relationship between us is no longer something that can be resolved with a simple surrender. You and I both know this..."
His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to cut through all of Gao Yao's disguises. "You won't let me live, just as I will never let you live. Even..." He deliberately lowered his voice with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm afraid that the person hiding in the dark won't allow either of us to live peacefully, right?"
"Isn't this the final tacit understanding between the three of us?"
As soon as the words fell, the murderous intent in the air surged, leaving no room for retreat. All the veils of hypocrisy were completely torn away, revealing the ultimate outcome of a life-or-death struggle. The false smile on Gao Yao's face vanished completely, replaced by a completely cold and ruthless expression.
"Hahahaha..." Gao Yao's laughter suddenly rang out in the battlefield filled with shouts and screams, carrying a hint of desolation, a touch of mockery, and an indescribable sense of catharsis. "As expected, Xiaochuan, you've really changed a lot!"
His laughter faded, and his gaze fixed on Yi Xiaochuan's face, a gaze that was no longer simply filled with murderous intent, but also a complex emotion that only the two of them understood, a complex fusion of emotions that transcended time and space. "If that's the case, then can you understand why I chose to do what I did that day? And why I chose to join the army?"
Gao Yao's voice suddenly rose, a barely perceptible tremor lingering from the resentment and unwillingness that had been pent up for far too long. "Because I can't survive! I can't survive! Do you understand?!" He practically roared, as if he wanted to pour out all the frustration in his chest. "You're a chess piece, perhaps from the very beginning! And what about me? I want to live, to live like a human being, yet I have to work so hard to qualify as a chess piece! Isn't this ridiculous?! Isn't this world ridiculous?!"
Hearing Gao Yao's almost roaring question, Yi Xiaochuan's hand holding the reins paused slightly, and the anger and murderous intent on his face under the visor faded a little, replaced by a moment of silence and inevitable deep thought.
Gao Yao's laughter and outspokenness weren't entirely without reason. Standing at the turbulent juncture of the late Qin Dynasty, Gao Yao, Yi Xiaochuan, and the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan lurking behind the scenes—the three of them were essentially outliers of their time, lost souls who had traveled through time and space. Only through each other could they understand the transcendental meanings and hidden frustrations in each other's words. Gao Yao had even experienced a greater dislocation of time and space than any of them.
On a daily basis, Gao Yao held the high position of commander of the Southern Border Army, and his words and actions were required to conform to the rules and status of this era. He had to be cautious, dignified, and speak in words that befitted the status of a Qin Dynasty general.
There are too many modern ideas and words he can't express; they would seem out of place, even arousing suspicion. This sense of restraint, like an invisible shackle, constantly accompanies him. Only when facing Yi Xiaochuan, also from the future, even though they are mortal enemies, can he occasionally tear off this disguise and speak a few words that are truly heartfelt, but destined to fail to achieve reconciliation.
This accusation about "living" and "being a pawn" was like a sharp thorn, accurately piercing a soft corner in Yi Xiaochuan's heart. This was the important reason why Yi Xiaochuan, after learning part of the truth, would place the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan, who was manipulating everything behind the scenes, and Gao Yao, who carried out the harm, on almost the same level of scrutiny.
The direct harm and pain were indeed inflicted upon him by Gao Yao. But when Yi Xiaochuan escaped Cui Wenzi's long-term guidance and deception, and gradually saw that it was the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan who was weaving the web of fate behind everything, he was forced to acknowledge a fact: if Gao Yao had not chosen a completely different, seemingly treacherous path—working hard to climb the ladder and seize power—then the fate of these two modern people with nothing, in the harsh context of the Qin Dynasty, would have been even more miserable, and perhaps even "living a decent life" would have become a luxury.
From a certain perspective, Gao Yao's actions were indeed an effort to adapt to the law of the jungle in this era, and he was trying his best to seize a glimmer of initiative in survival.
Is this wrong in itself? Yi Xiaochuan couldn't easily give a negative answer.
Moreover, regardless of his original intentions, it was indeed Yi Xiaochuan who had brought Gao Yao to this distant, unfamiliar, and dangerous era. This was a fact he could not escape. For the long years that followed, under Cui Wenzi's constant insinuation and guidance, he had always viewed Gao Yao as an antagonist, believing him to be self-degrading and an enemy whose ideals did not align with his own, never truly empathizing with Gao Yao's dilemma and the choices he faced. Only now, with the fog clearing, did he suddenly realize that he might have had many opportunities to choose different approaches to Gao Yao, perhaps avoiding the current, agonizing situation.
However, understanding does not mean forgiveness.