Sir, take me to rebel (2): 

The crowd was stifled by Si Qi’s relentless questioning, their chests tight, their faces shifting between blue and white.

The general took a deep breath, forcing down his anger: “Exactly who did you hear these things from?”

“No need to hear it from anyone,” Si Qi shrugged. “I’ve survived on my own outside. How could I really be some fool?”

The faces of the few present grew unpleasant.

They normally had little interaction with Si Qi, so they didn’t know much about his personality. Their impression was only that he was a cowardly, useless good-for-nothing…

But looking at him now—fearless, sharp-tongued, and articulate—he looked nothing like the person they remembered.

Was it because they had pushed him to the brink? Was that why he was now lashing out recklessly?

But his current composure didn’t look like the desperation of someone cornered. His words were coherent, he clearly knew the truth long ago, and no matter how you looked at it, he didn’t resemble the timid, easily manipulated figure they once thought he was.

Could it be… he had been pretending all these years?

Pretending so well that everyone had believed his act? That level of calculation was terrifying!

Someone forced themselves to appear calm and asked, “If you knew what we intended to do to you, then why did you come back? Why did you stay here all these years without complaint? It makes no sense!”

Si Qi shrugged again: “Because I was young and hot-blooded, fond of fantasies. I thought maybe one day you would change your minds, and I could have some family… But since the mask is off, let’s stop pretending. With family like you who want me dead, I don’t dare want you at all.”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing both arms covered in knife scars.

His arms were as thin as lotus roots, fragile as if they would snap with the slightest bend, yet they were densely covered with cuts.

The ugly scars—raised and sunken—made anyone’s scalp crawl just by looking.

Whoever saw those arms could easily imagine what this body had endured.

“Three years, one hundred and fifty cuts, one hundred and fifty bowls of blood.” Si Qi’s tone was cold, as if recounting someone else’s story, his voice devoid of warmth. “More than one hundred and fifty times, and not once did you regret your decision. Even a tiger won’t eat its cubs, yet you treated your own flesh and blood like livestock—slaughtering, butchering, cooking, devouring—without a shred of guilt. Worse than beasts.”

The servants all looked crazed—after hearing this today, how could they possibly survive?!

They didn’t regret watching their masters treat this boy so cruelly over the years. Even if some vaguely realized from the master’s words that the boy, as a living medicine vessel, was destined to die for the young master, none of them felt pity. How could another’s life outweigh their own livelihood?

But now that they thought they might die because of him, even pay with their own lives, they hated Si Qi to the bone. Why did he have to speak such things? Couldn’t he just shut up and obediently wait to die?!

Not one person felt guilty because of Si Qi’s words, including the general’s family blocking his way.

Everyone in this residence was mad. Or perhaps, in this era, powerful households were simply places where people were devoured whole. Those without power or influence died at the whim of the mighty—it was nothing unusual.

The general’s wife ignored Si Qi’s mockery, but she caught the rejection and resistance in his words, even his intention to leave. Her expression twisted grotesquely as she roared, “What are you trying to do? Leave? You’re not allowed to leave! You are my flesh and blood, you owe me your life! You must die for me! You beast, do you even know what filial piety is? Even if I killed you here and now, the authorities would not blame me—because I gave birth to you!”

Si Qi looked at the woman with an odd expression. “Is your brain alright? To say something like that… You think I’ll willingly die for you just because you birthed me? I’m not as muddle-headed as you, so biased you can’t tell right from wrong. Even if you dropped dead before me right now, I wouldn’t blink an eye.”

The general’s wife had never been spoken to so rudely. Her face flushed crimson, she clutched her precious son tightly and kept repeating, “No, I forbid it! You must save Yu’er, you must save him!!!”

Si Qi glanced at the little boy in her arms, crying pitifully like a kitten, and with a mocking smile said, “How should I save him? With my life? Don’t you always say this child is innocent and pure, unworldly? Well, I’ve told you already: every pill he eats each week is refined from my blood. For him to live, I must die. Do you think your so-called pure and innocent child would agree to that?”

The crowd jolted, turning their eyes toward the boy in the woman’s arms.

The child looked fragile, his face pale as though he might faint at any moment—if he fainted, he wouldn’t have to answer this difficult question.

Seeing his pitiful, wavering state, the crowd grew furious and shouted in unison at Si Qi: “Shut your mouth! How could you be so cruel to force him like this? You truly have a venomous heart!”

Si Qi found it hilarious and actually burst out laughing. The scissors in his hand trembled, making the others too afraid to act rashly, terrified he would threaten them with his own life again.

After laughing enough, he straightened and said, “Actually, you don’t need my blood. You have other options. As long as the blood is from the general’s direct descendants, it can make the pills. So why not use your own blood? Or kill this elder brother who dotes on his little brother so much—wouldn’t that work just as well?”

The young man who had been glaring at Si Qi stiffened. Noticing the sudden silence, his face turned uneasy. He looked incredulously at Si Qi, then at his parents.

The general and his wife also glanced at their son, a flash of complicated emotion crossing their faces.

Seeing this, the young man grew flustered and blurted, “Then why don’t you just have another child?”

The room fell so silent a pin could drop.

Even Si Qi was stunned by the absurd suggestion. He lowered his scissors and clapped. “Brilliant, brilliant—you really are a loving family! If one doesn’t work, just make another. Treat your womb like a furnace, your newborn children like edible tonics. Madam General, your womb is truly useful!”

The general’s wife reeled, dizzy with rage, and nearly slapped her eldest son. How could he say such a thing!

The eldest son also felt wronged. Wasn’t that exactly what his mother was doing now? And if Si Qi died, did they really expect him to die for Yu’er instead?

Si Qi ignored their inner grievances, flicked his wrist, and hurled the scissors like a dagger toward the general.

He moved so quickly the general almost couldn’t dodge. In haste, he raised his hand to block. His palm wasn’t pierced, but it was cut deeply. Blood gushed out, pain searing. “You… you wretch!”

Si Qi grinned. “Oh my, why are you covering the wound? That’s direct bloodline blood—don’t waste it. Quick, grab a bowl!”

His words stung like poison. As the masters barked at the servants to seize him, Si Qi dodged and shouted, “If you restrain me, the first thing your masters will do is kill you to silence you! Why not use this chance, while I’m distracting them, to run? Instead, you’re rushing to catch me—what are you thinking?”

At his words, many servants unconsciously slowed down.

Some exchanged glances with familiar companions, then stopped in their tracks and bolted!

“Stop!”

“Don’t you dare run!”

“Catch them!!”

The panic of the generals’ family only confirmed the servants’ suspicions. They knew these people feared them spreading the truth and would surely kill them all. If they didn’t run… were they really going to stay and wait for death?!

“You—!”

“What about me?” Si Qi lunged forward, kicking back the general and his family as they tried to stop the fleeing servants. While they gaped in disbelief, he exchanged several blows with them, knocking them down again and again.

—When had this brat learned such martial skills?!

Clutching their wounds, eyes bloodshot, they were both shocked and enraged.

Si Qi planted a foot on his elder brother’s chest, pressing until the man nearly coughed blood, and said leisurely, “For a general’s household, your martial arts are pathetic. Aren’t you afraid of shaming your ancestors? Then again, given how you torment your descendants, your ancestors must have died of fury already. If they could rise from the grave, you’d be the first they’d punish!”

In this era, people took ancestors and filial piety very seriously. At his words, everyone froze, suddenly imagining facing their ancestors in the afterlife, enduring their wrath…

The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they became, slowly climbing to their feet. Looking around the small courtyard, they realized all the servants had fled. Once outside, to protect themselves, they would certainly reveal everything they had seen and heard, leaving the general’s household overwhelmed and powerless to pursue them.

And Yu’er’s identity would be exposed…

The general’s wife held her child tightly, glaring at Si Qi while retreating, terrified he would harm her precious boy.

Meanwhile, the eldest son writhed underfoot, trying again and again to rise. Though trained in martial arts since youth, muscular and strong, he was powerless against this scrawny boy not even a meter tall. Rage and humiliation burned in him.

He turned his head, hoping his family would help, only to see his mother cradling his younger brother far away, watching warily without the slightest concern for him. A sharp pain stabbed his heart.

He too was her son. He had been dutiful and filial all these years. Yet when he was humiliated and beaten, she only cared that Yu’er remained unscathed…

While he thought this, Si Qi suddenly spoke above him: “There is a kind of fate called ‘the cuckoo’s brood.’”

Ignoring whether they wanted to listen, he continued, “The cuckoo is peculiar—it doesn’t hatch its own eggs. Instead, during breeding season, it finds a host and lays its eggs in the host’s nest. When the cuckoo chick hatches, if it finds other chicks in the nest, it pushes them out to die, taking over the nest for itself. The foster parents then tirelessly raise the killer of their own children, even when it grows larger than themselves, feeding it until it finally flies away.”

Not once did Si Qi mention anyone by name, but everyone understood his meaning.

Someone instinctively wanted to defend the innocent boy, but Si Qi gave them no chance and went on: “Si Yu is weak because your ancestors sacrificed themselves to shield this household, using the family’s fortune to ward off evil. They didn’t want their bloodline tainted, and they saw his ill-fated destiny, so they warned you this way—or tried to snuff it out early. But when you learned the truth, you didn’t repent. Instead, you insisted on killing your own son, using his blood and flesh to raise this cuckoo chick. And none of you ever thought something was wrong?”

The few people present felt their hearts tremble.

Of course, they understood what Si Qi meant. But their deeply ingrained obsession made them subconsciously feel that Si Qi was spouting nonsense. After all, everything had been done by them, the adults—Yu’er had never taken part. Such a pure and kind child, how could he possibly…

The general’s wife was furious: “Stop trying to sow discord here!”

“How is that sowing discord?” Si Qi looked at her with a half-smile. “That sorcerer must have told you that Si Yu’s future would be limitless, right? But did he ever tell you what fate awaited your general’s household afterward? That sorcerer saw through this boy’s destiny and wanted to curry favor with him. Naturally, he wouldn’t tell you the truth. Just as you hid everything from me and made me his sacrifice, the sorcerer chose to sacrifice you, turning you into his nourishment.”

The more they listened, the less they could bear it. They shouted at Si Qi to shut up and rushed forward to strike him.

One by one, they were all kicked back by Si Qi.

They suddenly realized Si Qi must have known the truth long ago but chose to remain silent. Otherwise, with his ability, if he hadn’t wanted to bleed and only wanted to escape, who could have stopped him?

“Believe it or not, it won’t be me who suffers later.” After watching the servants scatter far away, Si Qi brushed the dust off his shoulder casually. “That’s all I have to say. If you want to keep protecting him, then cut your own flesh and blood to save him. I hope that when we meet next time, you’ll still be alive and in one piece.”

Having said that, regardless of how ugly their expressions were, Si Qi swaggered out of the little courtyard and soon disappeared from sight.

The general’s wife instinctively stepped forward, trying to stop him. But afraid he would strike her or her child, she could only look anxiously at her husband: “How could you just let him go? If he leaves, what about Yu’er?!”

The general was wracked with pain, his clothes and hands soaked with his own blood, making him look utterly wretched.

Hearing his wife’s complaint, his face twisted fiercely. “Find him! Find him at once! I don’t believe a brat like him can get very far!”

But there were countless places Si Qi could go.

If he wanted, he could hop into a mech that very afternoon and take a holiday on the opposite continent of the planet without a problem.

Yet each time he went somewhere, Chu Feng would somehow appear nearby. Since he wanted to find Chu Feng, Si Qi never deliberately strayed too far from the capital.

From the World Tree’s leaves, he retrieved a few miniature monitors and handed them to Xiu Xiu to manage, asking him to watch for signs of Chu Feng’s appearance in or near the capital, or for anyone mentioning Chu Feng’s name. With that, Si Qi left the general’s residence.

When he had studied this world line earlier, Si Qi noticed something unusual. The people here vaguely perceived the existence of world power and called it fortune, using it for many things.

Those who used world power were called sorcerers.

Sorcerers were usually poor at combat but excelled in divination, healing, and similar arts. They could, for example, transfer bones, talents, fate, or lifespan from one person to another, or sacrifice some lives to contribute their future to the dynasty, ensuring its strength for centuries.

Why did the general’s household always require the original body to participate in the New Year sacrifices? Because the more bloodline members participated, the stronger the ritual became. Through these sacrifices, they could strengthen their ancestors’ power and maintain the family’s fortune. Fortune, in turn, protected their bloodline descendants from harm.

That was why the original child, despite the high infant mortality rate in that era, had survived safely until the day his parents found him—thanks to the protection of the general’s fortune.

Meanwhile, the impostor child had been frail since birth because fortune rejected him.

But he was born with a cuckoo’s fate, loved by all. His deranged elders wanted to kill their own kin for his sake, swapping destinies between the two, ultimately causing the original child’s death.

Afterward, that child successfully took the original’s place, was accepted by the general’s fortune, and effortlessly ascended in status like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Not long after, he encountered a badly injured, hideous-looking youth. Concerned about others’ gazes and being kind-hearted, he saved him.

As fate would have it, that youth was the world’s Child of Destiny. The emperor had ordered his assassination, and he had barely survived. Grateful to the one who saved him, he remembered Si Yu deeply.

But he distrusted the general’s family. Before he had even seen Si Yu clearly, he slipped away secretly that very night to hide.

The Child of Destiny fled to the remote regions of the Qiu dynasty, where famine and disasters abounded. Many desperate commoners had risen in rebellion. He eagerly joined them and led them in a march on the capital.

For years, the Qiu dynasty was ravaged by famine and war until the Child of Destiny finally stormed the palace, personally killed his siblings and father, and founded a new dynasty as emperor.

His first order of business was to hunt down and kill every sorcerer in the land. Then he sought out Si Yu, who had once saved his life.

He even publicly declared that the general’s family would continue to prosper in the new dynasty, even rise higher—just as that sorcerer had once foretold.

The Si family rejoiced at the news, praising Si Yu as a bringer of fortune, saying the sorcerer had been entirely correct, and congratulating themselves for having made the right choice back then.

But Si Yu, noting the new emperor’s hatred of sorcerers, investigated the reason and panicked when he learned the truth.

When the emperor was born, sorcerers had praised his immense fortune and divine favor, claiming he would one day be a wise ruler.

But the old emperor grew jealous, coveted his son’s fortune, and made him a sacrifice—having sorcerers drain his blood, swap his bones, fate, and lifespan to extend his own. He nearly died several times as a result.

Could such a man tolerate Si Yu, who had stolen another’s destiny, flaunting himself before him? He had killed his own father; why would he spare Si Yu? This secret had to stay buried!

So Si Yu advised the new emperor not to show leniency to the general’s family because of him. He even recounted their many recent misdeeds, urging the emperor to wipe out his entire clan.

Seeing Si Yu’s resentment toward them, the emperor naturally didn’t hold back.

One moment the Si family was celebrating, and the next they were arrested and thrown into prison.

Panic-stricken, they realized Si Yu was not among those captured. Desperate, they tried to contact him, begging for his help.

When Si Yu saw them, he wept, promised wholeheartedly to save them, and once reassured they wouldn’t expose his past, he happily inherited all the family’s wealth and lived comfortably outside.

He thought all he had to do was wait until the execution day to watch their heads roll.

Perhaps those fools would even cry out for him to take care of himself before they died.

Then the new emperor personally led soldiers to capture him, threw him into prison with his family, and listened coldly as they all wailed together.

It turned out that after the soldiers captured the sorcerers, the emperor ordered them to reveal all the corrupt nobles they had colluded with, confessing their crimes—including the filth committed by the general’s household years ago.

The emperor, hardened by years of schemes and struggles, saw through Si Yu’s petty tricks easily. This man was just as disgusting as his father.

After capturing Si Yu, the emperor revealed to the Si family the very words Si Yu had said to him earlier, even stating that he had originally intended to let the general’s household flourish. But because Si Yu feared exposure, he had begged the emperor to kill them.

When they heard this, the Si family went mad.

The elders who had doted on Si Yu their whole lives fainted on the spot from shock.

The younger ones, consumed with hatred, cried out, “How has our Si family ever wronged you?” while clawing and biting at Si Yu, tearing his flesh until he was half-dead, living in the prison in torment worse than death.

Later, the new emperor busied himself with exterminating sorcerers, erasing all traces of their existence. The sorcerers’ lineage was cut off. Many cursed him as cruel and tyrannical, unworthy of being emperor. Centuries later, when people learned how powerful sorcerers once were, they too cursed the foolish, brutal “dog emperor” who had ruined everything for personal vengeance.

But amid all the scolding, he struggled to guard this land drained of fortune and ravaged by disasters. On the ruins, he built a new dynasty. Breaking first, then rebuilding, he barely carried the world through what had been, for its consciousness, the worst of times.