Sir, take me to rebel (13): 

How, how could this be…

The partner his lord had been yearning for all these years, how could it be his father, the man he had wished to kill with his own hands day and night!

Si Yi’s mind was in chaos, and in his daze it seemed as if he saw the man on the ground across from him shouting something.

But he did not hear a word clearly, only hurriedly drew his blade, strode forward, and raised it to cut off the man’s head.

The emperor collapsed to the ground in terror, the stench of filth seeping from his body.

Si Yi could not bear that such a wretch could occupy his lord’s heart; he wanted nothing more than to tear him apart and grind him to dust.

At the instant the blade was about to fall, Si Yi remembered the expression his lord always wore when he thought of Chu Feng.

At the last possible moment, the blade narrowly missed the emperor’s neck, merely slicing through his dragon robe and leaving a deep line of blood across his chest.

Si Yi gripped the hilt tightly. He did not want his lord to feel grief over this man’s death, nor for his lord to hate him because of it.

For that, he was willing to give up his revenge in exchange for a sliver of leeway.

The emperor screamed, his face twisted in pain as he fell to the ground, cursing and begging for mercy all at once. His tear-streaked, snot-covered appearance made the surrounding soldiers frown. No wonder their lives had been so hard before—because the one on the throne had never been worthy of it.

Si Yi stared at him, forcing himself countless times not to slash open the man’s face. The governor and others urged him to behead the tyrant himself and remove all future threats, but he refused grimly.

No one understood why Si Yi, who had hated the Autumn Dynasty’s emperor so deeply, would suddenly hold back after seeing him. But since he insisted, no one pressed him further. They obeyed.

With the change of dynasty came endless matters to handle. Everyone was busy. Even Si Qi was summoned to deal with problems that baffled the ministers.

Si Yi, who should have been the one taking the lead, behaved strangely. Many of the elders who had followed him for years noticed something was wrong. Unable to get an answer from him, they secretly turned to Si Qi, hoping he could persuade him.

Yet even the usually calm and capable Master Si seemed unsteady.

Distracted, Si Qi agreed to the ministers’ request, swiftly handled the most difficult issues, and then, guided by Xiu Xiu, went directly to find Si Yi.

Xiu Xiu had always stayed by Si Yi’s side over the years, indirectly protecting him. So it was Xiu Xiu who first saw the emperor’s face before the throne and realized it looked exactly like that of the Lord God!

Startled, he hurried to tell Si Qi. Si Qi felt as if struck by lightning—understood much in that instant—yet was soon engulfed by ministers again, only now finally finding a moment of freedom.

He went straight to Si Yi.

Si Yi looked at his lord bursting in, saw his anxious, impulsive face, and froze stiffly. His clever mind turned to mush—filled with anger, grievance, and the fear of losing his lord.

When he was about to speak, even daring to think of using authority to threaten Si Qi to stay—willing to spare the tyrant’s life for that—Si Qi rushed forward in a few strides, embraced him tightly, and spoke in a trembling voice.

“It’s me, it’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”

It was the first time Si Yi had ever been held like this by the man he loved. His pale face flushed red at once. One hand hung midair, wanting to touch yet afraid to.

“I should have come to this world sooner. I made you suffer too much…”

Si Yi’s mind buzzed. He did not understand what Si Qi meant, but he vaguely realized his lord had not come to despise him for that man, had not chosen someone else over him—instead, he had chosen him!

The pain of past abuse was nothing compared to the agony of almost losing his lord. Now he had him back.

He clutched his lord tightly, holding him close, and said hoarsely, “Sir, you’re not wrong. This isn’t your fault. It’s the emperor’s fault, the sorcerer’s fault… Don’t blame yourself…”

“No, no…” Realizing the man’s identity, Si Qi no longer kept any pretense. Remembering the first time he saw Chu Feng, Si Qi nearly choked on his pain.

Xiu Xiu could not bear seeing him so sad and burst into tears as well, sobbing: [Wuwuwu, Master, don’t be sad. You don’t know—the Lord God is the child of the world…]

The fault lay with the emperor’s vile deeds. Neither Si Qi nor Xiu Xiu had ever thought to connect him to Chu Feng, nor cared to look closely at a villain’s face to see if it resembled their beloved.

Thinking of his cold rejection of Si Yi all these years, Si Qi grew even sadder. He kissed the lips revealed beyond the mask and whispered, “I knew it, but I was afraid of being wrong and never dared admit it…”

Feeling the warmth on his lips, Si Yi’s neck flushed red. He stammered, “I… Sir, what are you saying? I don’t understand…”

Si Qi took a deep breath and explained, “That tyrant is your father. His face already resembled yours. He stole your lifespan, your bones, absorbed your entire existence. Naturally his appearance grew ever closer to yours…”

If they had not been blood-related—say, if Si Yu had tried to steal Si Qi’s fate—then Si Yu’s features would have gradually shifted toward Si Qi’s while still keeping his own traits, until everyone believed they were kin.

But when a father robs his son, their already-similar features eventually become identical.

Si Yi froze. He had never heard of such a thing. Disbelieving, he asked, “So, so I am…”

Si Qi nodded firmly. “It’s you. It has always been you. The one I was searching for is you. You are Chu Feng.”

Si Yi’s heart pounded madly. The pain of thinking he’d lost his lord flipped into the joy of realizing he had always been loved by him. The surprise was overwhelming.

He could hardly believe such good fortune. Was it a dream?

It was all too beautiful.

Si Qi removed the mask from Chu Feng’s face. Though the features weren’t the same as he remembered, the eyes and bearing were his beloved’s—always had been.

He kissed him lightly, cherishing his presence, his excitement, his nervousness.

After a long time, their lips parted. Si Qi stared at Chu Feng’s flushed face and smiled. “From now on, I’ll make it up to you…”

“No!” Chu Feng blurted out. “You never owed me anything. You never harmed me, you’ve always helped me!”

“But I didn’t do more for you…” Always keeping his distance, afraid of being swayed.

“How is that your fault? You didn’t even know who I was!” Chu Feng refused to hear self-blame from the man he loved. He grasped his hand tightly—something he’d longed to do but had never been allowed—and now, finally, he could. His heart brimmed with joy. Lowering his head, he said, “I don’t know how you knew what I’d look like grown, but I only know you chose to love me, to accept me. That’s enough. The past doesn’t matter. I know you had your worries.”

Si Qi studied his expression, then laughed.

He tugged at Chu Feng’s cheek. “How did you become so easy to bully?”

“I only let you bully me.” Chu Feng stared at him. “Sir, you can bully me however you like. Just don’t leave me.”

Si Qi’s eyes curved into a smile. He had never laughed so freely before anyone else, but with Chu Feng, it was different.

Chu Feng gazed at him, entranced. He had discovered a new side of his lord, and he wanted to discover more.

Si Qi held his hand. “Don’t call me sir. Just use my name. You can call me Xiao Qi.”

Chu Feng grew nervous. “How could I…”

Si Qi winked. “I really am younger than you.”

Chu Feng was puzzled.

Si Qi said, “Look.”

His figure shrank—shorter, smaller—until he looked fifteen or sixteen.

Chu Feng froze, forgetting to breathe.

He lowered his head, staring at the youth in adult clothes. “You… this, I…”

“I told you not to say ‘sir’ anymore.” Si Qi tapped his lips with one finger, grinning. “When I first met you, I was only eight. How could an eight-year-old guide anyone? So I took on that appearance.”

Chu Feng was dumbfounded. He swallowed hard and forced himself to accept it. “No wonder you’ve stayed young and handsome all these years, without change.”

But… how cute must he have been at eight or nine? He had missed it!

Curious, he asked, “How did you do this?”

He knew sorcery was beyond common understanding, but this was the first time he’d seen someone shift appearance so freely.

Si Qi thought for a moment, then admitted, “This is different. It’s an immortal technique.”

“Immortal?” Chu Feng thought the word fit his lord perfectly.

Si Qi: “Back then, when I went to find you, I used a teleportation array to enter the palace directly. The seeds too—I collected them from around the world.”

Chu Feng remembered the strange things surrounding his lord over the years and suddenly understood.

“So, you searched for me because… because you knew I was your destined partner? And about my memory loss…”

Si Qi warned, “If you say ‘sir’ again, I’ll kiss you.”

Chu Feng nearly gave in to the forbidden thrill of wanting to call him that forever.

Seeing the temptation, Si Qi sighed, amused. “Fine. If you say it again, then I won’t kiss you.”

Chu Feng peeked at him carefully. The young man’s lively expression was so different from his usual calm restraint.

He must be happy too—after searching for him all these years, he had finally found him.

Gathering courage, Si Yi said, “Then if I say ‘you’ once, you have to kiss me once. You do want me, don’t you? I’ve heard you say it countless times—you love me, you like me… I just said it twice, so you owe me two kisses.”

Si Qi widened his eyes. “How did you become so mischievous!”

“When it comes to you, I’d do anything.” Chu Feng shamelessly added, “You promised to make it up to me, and now you won’t even kiss me once.”

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t want it?”

“I do now.”

Si Qi was both annoyed and amused. He nudged Chu Feng with his shoulder, teasing him.

Playfully bickering, their bodies brushed closer. Finally, Si Qi couldn’t resist the yearning in his heart. Meeting Chu Feng’s gaze, he stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Chu Feng couldn’t restrain himself. He pulled him close, licking and biting, savoring his beloved’s lips with closed eyes.

After a long time, he whispered, “I must be the happiest person in the world.”

Si Qi’s cheeks were pink, his breath unsteady, leaning against Chu Feng. “Of course you are.”

“Then why did you call me Chu Feng before? My name is Si Yi.”

Si Qi asked, “If I hadn’t found you, what name would you have chosen?”

Si Yi hesitated. “…I wouldn’t want his surname. Maybe I’d use my mother’s. When she tried to save me, she called me Feng’er. Maybe that’s the character you wrote.”

“Your mother’s surname was Chu?”

“I don’t know.”

“In the capital, families with the surname Chu are few. I searched each one—there was no trace of your family. Perhaps the emperor already…”

“Mm.” Chu Feng hugged him tightly. “I won’t let him go.”

Si Qi patted his back gently. “Of course. Neither will I.”

Chu Feng had many doubts. “You’re really only fifteen or sixteen?”

Si Qi: “Yes.”

“Not an immortal? You won’t leave here to return to the immortal realm?” Chu Feng held him tightly.

“How afraid are you that I’ll leave,” Si Qi laughed, “I’m not an immortal, just a mortal like you. Do you remember General Si, the one you fought before? He is the father of this body I’m using.”

Chu Feng was astonished. “Him?”

That fellow who lasted less than fifteen minutes in battle before fleeing in terror without the slightest backbone?

Such a man could actually father someone as pure and noble as Mister Si??

Si Qi patiently explained, “Back then, when I was lost outside, another child took my place… The Si family favored him. Just as the emperor did to you, they tried to steal my destiny. So I left…”

Chu Feng tightened his grip around Si Qi’s hand. “How dare they!”

“Don’t worry, their days haven’t been good these past years.” Si Qi patted his back reassuringly and smiled. “The destiny given to that Si Yu would help him continuously absorb the Si family’s fortune, draining their life force. The Si family has been locked in fierce internal strife, and no new children have been born for years. I didn’t strike them down directly at the time because I didn’t want to let them off so easily—I wanted them to torture each other.”

Chu Feng still felt unsatisfied. “But they hurt you.”

“Yes.” Si Qi nodded, smiling wickedly. “So, will you help me punish them?”

Chu Feng agreed without hesitation.

When Si Yi and his men broke through the imperial city, it meant that General Si and the other commanders had completely lost any reason to keep fighting.

They had already been chased and beaten all the way down by Si Yi’s forces, and at this point, resisting was pointless.

Instead of avenging the emperor, they cared more about how the new emperor would deal with them after his ascension.

And how they themselves could please the new ruler.

After all, Si Yi was still of royal blood. Surrendering to him was not really betraying the dynasty, but merely choosing a more suitable master.

The court ministers each used every trick they had, trying to befriend Si Guo’s officials and gain an audience with the future emperor. Those who had actually crossed swords with Si Yi on the battlefield were the unlucky ones—for back then, they had shown him no mercy at all, shouting anything they pleased.

Now, thinking back, every word was like a death warrant, waiting to come back and claim their lives.

General Si led his soldiers back to the general’s mansion in a daze. Outside was a mess, the common folk shut their doors tightly and dared not go out. Soldiers of Si Guo, who had marched all the way here, patrolled the capital to keep order, but couldn’t help muttering to each other:

“This is the capital?”

“Nothing like I imagined. It’s worse than Jiang Province, which we just built up…”

“The roads are so narrow, the stone slabs uneven. If a carriage passes over, the people inside will be jolted to death.”

“Those nobles strut around so proudly, but they live in a place like this, and dare to boast how great they are… laughable.”

“Our Mister Si is the real one with skill.”

“Didn’t you see those merchants from Qiu Dynasty nearly go mad snatching up our goods? They even said only big shots could afford them…”

“There’s no more Qiu Dynasty from now on.”

…

Hearing the soldiers outside, a Si family servant pulled back his head nervously from the corner, face bitter. Just as he turned to report the situation to the gathered Si family members, General Si stormed back into the house with his soldiers, looking utterly disheveled, making everyone’s hearts jump.

The steward quickly ordered people to bring a clean towel to wipe General Si, and Si Yu obediently poured him a cup of tea. But General Si had no mood for tea—he sat down irritably, looking dejected.

“You’re back. I heard those Si Guo soldiers shouting outside, are we…”

No one dared say the word “defeated,” but everyone could see the answer on his face.

Their hearts sank heavily, the room silent as death.

Just then, noise erupted outside. One of General Si’s men rushed out to ask, then returned and said, “Si Yi ordered the soldiers to arrest all warlocks. He demands that if anyone is hiding them, they must hand them over immediately. All items and rituals connected to warlocks must be thrown out and stopped…”

Before anyone else reacted, the general’s wife jumped up, shrieking, “Why! Who does he think he is! How dare he demand that the warlocks—”

“Shut up!” General Si slammed the table so hard the teacups bounced, spilling tea all over.

No one cared about the mess. His eyes were bloodshot, beard stubbled, and he roared in a low, furious voice, “Do you want the whole family to die? Huh?!”

The sisters-in-law, who had long disliked the general’s wife, rolled their eyes and said mockingly, “Of course she does, so her precious son can have his life prolonged.”

Si Yu’s eyes reddened. “Aunt…” he said sadly.

“Hey, don’t cry. Or else your brother and uncle will accuse me again of targeting you and bullying you in secret.” The woman rolled her eyes.

She had only been married into the general’s mansion for a few years. At first, she liked this child as much as her husband and the rest did. But later, she discovered her husband’s arms were covered in scars, with new wounds appearing from time to time. As his wife, how could she not feel distressed? Naturally, she asked questions.

When she learned the truth, she could accept it, but couldn’t help resenting it. She gently told Si Yu a few words, asking why he wouldn’t just reveal his true identity—then everyone wouldn’t have to suffer because of him.

But that very afternoon, her husband, nephew, and all the elders of the Si family forced her to kneel in the main hall to apologize to Si Yu. The way they glared, it seemed like they wanted to tear her apart alive. And all she had done was ask privately.

She felt wronged, hoping Si Yu would speak up for her. After all, he had always been gentle—if he said it was fine and forgave her, things would have eased. But instead? Si Yu, with the most harmless words and the most pitiful face, spoke sentences that pushed her deeper into the abyss. It was then she realized—the purer his appearance, the darker his heart.

Indeed, if he were truly an innocent child, how could he swallow those blood-forged pills without guilt? How could he, for the sake of “not upsetting mother,” never once admit his true identity to the outside world?

From that day, she saw how mad this family truly was. She secretly investigated Si Yu’s past, learning that his eldest brother once said, “Why not just have another child.” The thought chilled her to the bone.

If she bore a child, would that child become Si Yu’s sacrifice? Would the elders take her baby by force to die in his place?

Even if she managed to save the baby’s life, would the child, when grown, have to live in constant fear of being killed? Would he, like his father, have to bleed regularly?

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. In secret, she had her maid bring her contraceptive herbs, which she drank regularly.

Her in-laws noticed her childlessness and showed her sour faces, but she endured it.

Childbirth was already walking through death’s gate. And here, the child’s chances of survival were slim. Why should she give birth at all?

Look at Si Yu’s eldest brother—married for years with no children. Did anyone believe they didn’t share her thoughts?

Year after year passed. The vast general’s mansion produced no new infants. Even the dullest person should have noticed something was wrong.

Her husband privately confronted her, coldly asking if she had taken contraceptive herbs. She admitted it, answering with the same icy tone, and pulled his scarred arm before him, demanding if he wanted their child to end up like that.

The man fell silent.

From then on, he never spoke of the matter again.

The woman only sneered and said, “Of course—you already have Si Yu. Why would you need a child of your own blood?”

Enraged, the man smashed the entire bedroom to pieces, while she stood calmly, watching him rage.

From that day, his attitude toward Si Yu cooled. He was not the first. In the following years, more and more people grew resentful of Si Yu. The protective general’s wife quarreled constantly with others, and like today, seized every chance to hurl barbed words.

Even those who usually avoided disputes grew angry. Who wanted to live in such a foul atmosphere every day? Tempers flared.

But no matter their anger, when it came time for Si Yu to take his medicine, they still had to obediently roll up their sleeves, let the sharp blade cut their arms, and watch their blood drip into that bowl which seemed it could never be filled.

How had things come to this?

They had only wanted to protect a younger member of the family, willing to sacrifice even their own kin without hesitation. Yet because of this same younger one, their household was no longer a home. They couldn’t even have peaceful lives or children to bring them joy, and still had to suffer the pain of the knife again and again.