CG Chapter 157: Nameless Straw Dogs
In one of the old, desolate shacks in Jixing village.
A middle-aged man sat on the only standing chair in the house.
Kneeling in front of him was none other than Fang Huo, who had his head facing the ground, still questioning his reality and what felt like an illusory couple of hours.
His gaze was glued to the cracked wooden floor, while his mind was constantly repeating what had ensued.
"I am in need of a useful tool that is willing to follow me through my journey. It will need to take care of some of my miscellaneous daily needs. If I find it useful, I might even teach it a trick or two."
That sentence kept on repeating, over and over again. What attracted him, however, wasn't the prospects of glory, fame, or power.
No, these all were still too far for a child like him; what attracted him was that someone valued him. Even if he was a mere tool, he was still willing; in fact, he found it too good to be true.
Yet, he didn't want to agree only to be thrown out again.
The middle-aged man watched in silence, not interrupting Fang Huo's thoughts, letting him choose what he truly wanted.
The reason why he picked Fang Huo of all people, a weak kid with no background or power, was still a mystery that even he himself didn't know.
Perhaps it was the shared memory, or the same hand that extended to him when he was the same age as Fang Huo. But it didn't matter now; all that mattered was to see this final gamble… until the end.
A while passed, like sand falling through a broken hourglass, and the middle-aged man didn't seem affected by how long the boy was taking. He, for one, knew that sometimes hope is scarier than the darkness.
Without hope, you would merely become numb to the pain. Not feeling the cold of winter, and not minding the harsh noise of your icy bones as they almost cracked from the freezing weather.
Yet, once you are given a single piece of charcoal, you start to think, 'Maybe I can make it to tomorrow.' And the thought leads to another, until you start smiling...
Shaking his head, the middle-aged man smiled with melancholy as if an old memory had just passed in front of his eyes.
Not wanting to think about it any longer, he shifted his focus to the kneeling boy in front of him. During their brief conversation, if you can even call it that, he was able to convince him to return to the village.
Still, it seemed like that was far from enough to change the boy's mind.
In the middle of that thought, the boy's gaze shifted from the ground to the middle-aged man. Their eyes crossed, and the middle-aged man felt as if the boy's fiery gaze wanted to pierce him, to find out everything about him.
Suddenly, the boy, seeming to have gathered his thoughts, said his first words since they met.
"I lived thus far for no one, for no one wanted my life. I carry no name, no right. So if you are willing to take me in, I will follow. From hence, as long as you don't betray me, I will follow you even to death if you ask. That I..."
The boy wanted to state his name, but he remembered that he had been ostracized by the Fang clan, so he decided to continue using the name his mother had given him.
"That I Huo swear upon the name of my mother."
The middle-aged man's gaze froze on Huo's face, sensing the underlying belief. His face shifted from frowning to calm.
Out of nowhere, the middle-aged man started to laugh. His laugh was so loud that it echoed through the entire shack and the whole village.
The men who had kicked Huo out of the village before were already scared witless, seeing him return with this master. Luckily for them, the middle-aged man didn't care for their lowly lives.
Their emotions were going through an unimaginable turmoil due to the strange noises coming from this shack. Some of the men wanted to run away, believing that they had invited a resentful ghost to their village.
Yet, none of that mattered at this time as the middle-aged man finally nodded his head, smiling toward the boy.
"No name. No right. Haha!" he continued, saying, "Not bad, well said. What is wrong with having no name or no rights? In the eyes of heaven, perhaps we are all nameless straw dogs. Consider us both as such."
Just as quickly as he started laughing, his expression returned to that ancient calm.
He placed the bronze oil lamp in the middle of the table before reaching into his clothes. From there, he grabbed a familiar jade plaque with the title 'Xiao' on it, setting it on the lamp.
With a glance shifting to the boy, he said in a heavy voice carrying a deeper meaning that was left unsaid, "Kneel!"
As if the two were in sync, the boy knelt with his full force in front of the plaque.
"A kneel to the Ancestor. The soaring tree of Xiao, and the protection of our progenitors."
Thud!
"A kneel to the Master. He who can't be here, thus I, Deadman, shall act in his place."
Thud!
"Finally, kneel to yourself. From now on, your fate shall belong to you and you alone."
Thud!
Each of these forceful kneels could have caused any grown man to scream in pain, yet he didn't hesitate for a single moment. His eyes were placed on the plaque while his head bled, leaving a dark crimson stain on the wooden floor. The stain was like a mark, and a proof of his belief.
"Good! A name can be as tall as a mountain. You are Xiao Huo, from today until you draw your last breath."
"The first lesson I am going to give you is to never dishonor the name; you may follow your heart in all things. But never lose yourself to weakness. If you wish to kill, then kill. If you wish to save the world, then become a saint. But once you have made your choice, don't hesitate."
With that, a new story unfolded. A nameless boy who carries the weight of Xiao and a Deadman who desired to play the role of the living for one final act.