# Chapter 78: The Cause: Destined
The Xiongzhou army withdrew from Wang County, parting ways with the Dudong army. The Dudong army had to halt where they were, recruiting soldiers and purchasing supplies while also resting and rebuilding their forces.
For several months, Mancheng had nothing to do. Wandering alone through the city, he somehow picked up a country bumpkin along the way.
When Peng Hong saw the country boy's limitless potential, he assigned him to his own camp. Mancheng was quite irritated. The moment he opened his mouth to ask Peng Hong for the person, Peng Hong only coldly laughed: "What? You just lost Yang Daochun, and now another Cheng Zhongshan appears? Are you that insatiable?"
Mancheng immediately shut up, not wanting to explain anything to him. He stomped angrily out of the tent and ran to the infantry camp to find Zhongshan. When the soldiers saw Mancheng, they all knelt in salute. He waved them away saying: "Get lost, get lost." Then he went straight to Zhongshan. The nearby infantry soldiers tactfully withdrew. Zhongshan sat leisurely to the side, munching on corn. When he saw Mancheng arrive, he didn't kneel or salute—instead, he casually nodded and said: "Oh? You're here?"
"Where'd you steal this corn from?"
Zhongshan smiled and whispered: "Where else could I steal it from? See, just outside the camp, to the west, there are some. Everyone's been picking them, so I went too."
Mancheng pouted: "Why didn't you call me?" As he spoke, he stared fixedly at the roasted corn in Zhongshan's hand. "Give me half."
"You want it?" Zhongshan was speechless.
Mancheng squatted on the ground, nodding repeatedly.
Zhongshan teased him: "We're eating because we're starving. Are you starving too?"
Mancheng's expression turned serious. He said: "If you don't give it to me, I'll take it by force."
Zhongshan burst out laughing, handing over the corn. Mancheng grabbed it, bared his front teeth, and started munching like a little mouse. Zhongshan covered his face, laughing so hard he doubled over. After a while, he caught his breath and asked: "Good?"
Mancheng was thoroughly enjoying himself, nodding "mm-hmm" twice. In no time, he finished, tossed the cob on the ground, and asked: "Any more?"
"None left. Tomorrow I'll take you to pick some."
"Good!" Mancheng's face lit up, then suddenly furrowed his brow. "That damn Peng Hong is so irritating! I want to get you transferred to my command, but he refuses absolutely."
Zhongshan looked surprised. "Does the prince-general value this small foot soldier so much?"
"Don't flatter yourself! It's because..." Mancheng suddenly stopped, his face warming.
"Because what?"
"Who knows what's wrong with him!" Mancheng shot him a glance, then said: "Didn't you say you had something good to show me today? Hurry up and bring it out!"
Zhongshan glanced left and right, then mysteriously pulled out a book.
Mancheng's excitement immediately evaporated. He snorted and said: "What garbage! You made me excited for nothing!"
"Just look at it first!"
Mancheng couldn't be bothered to refuse. He took it and flipped through casually. The moment he glanced at the first page, his face turned crimson red. This page had dense text, but also an erotic illustration.
He flipped through more—almost every page had a meticulously drawn erotic picture, with men and women naked, their poses boldly wanton.
Although Mancheng considered himself experienced, he had never seen anything like this. Zhongshan watched his face grow increasingly red, thoroughly amused. Mancheng raised his eyes to meet Zhongshan's gaze. For some inexplicable reason, his heart began to race, and his blush was so deep he felt like steam was rising from his face!
Zhongshan smirked, that smile not reaching his eyes, and teased: "Little cutie, why are you blushing? Is this not good? Then give it back to me!"
Mancheng shook his head, then nodded, giggling stupidly. "Good stuff! Hehe..." He buried himself back in the illustrations.
In no time, he finished looking through all the pictures. When he saw that seven or eight out of ten characters in the text were unrecognizable to him, he pointed and asked Zhongshan: "What's written here?"
Zhongshan was shocked. "You can't read?"
"Of course I can read! I just don't recognize many characters! You read it to me!"
Zhongshan smirked wickedly. He glanced at the passage Mancheng indicated and read it aloud. Mancheng had never heard such vulgar, indecent language. The flush that had just started to fade immediately returned in full force.
Zhongshan stopped reading, watching the flustered Mancheng with great interest.
Mancheng barked: "What are you looking at?"
Zhongshan taunted: "I didn't know our General Xia was so shy!" His voice dropped, carrying a suggestive tone as he deliberately asked: "You've never done it?"
Mancheng glared: "Of course I've done it!"
"With whom?"
Mancheng felt embarrassed and irritated, snapping: "There were many! And it's none of your business!" He threw the book at Zhongshan's head. "Keep my book safe! Read it to me slowly later."
Zhongshan questioned: "In two days we're going into battle. What if I die? Where would you find this book!"
"I can always find your corpse!"
Zhongshan burst out laughing. "You'll be searching for my corpse across the battlefield, and when people ask, 'General, what are you looking for?' You'll say: 'I'm looking for my erotic picture book!' Hahaha, how interesting! Hahaha... You're really adorable!"
Mancheng's eyes rolled. He said: "Stop laughing! If you die that easily, I can't help it! If I bring this book back, Peng Hong will definitely find out. He'll scold me!"
Zhongshan thought of that handsome, spirited, and dignified prince-general. His heart sank. In the army, how many jokes and gossip centered around Mancheng and the Xiongzhou prince. Now that the Xiongzhou prince had returned to Guidu, and Mancheng followed the prince-general's every command, similar rumors naturally circulated. Thinking of this, Zhongshan couldn't help but blurt out: "Mancheng, do you and the prince-general have that kind of ambiguous relationship?"
Mancheng spoke without thinking: "Bullshit! It's not him!"
Both froze. Mancheng realized he had been tricked into revealing information. His pale face flushed red again.
Zhongshan wore a strange smile and pressed further: "Then who?"
Who indeed? It was someone too busy to even glance at him. Someone who let him and Daochun act as recklessly as they pleased. Someone terrified of anyone knowing their intimate connection.
Mancheng's eyes reddened.
Zhongshan had already guessed it was Zhang Zhou. He suppressed his jealousy and inner anguish, chuckling: "Women are great. Why do you like men?"
"Who said I don't like women? I..." Suddenly, Mancheng's face contorted with anger. He threatened: "I think you're tired of living! Say another word and I'll cut off your head!"
"Fine, fine..." Zhongshan apologized, drawing closer as he whispered: "After this battle, if I survive, I'll take you to a flower tavern."
Mancheng looked confused. "What's that?"
Zhongshan nearly collapsed. He chuckled dryly: "Little cutie, you really defeat me. I'll take you sometime and you'll understand! I guarantee you'll have a great time."
Mancheng nodded repeatedly, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Then you absolutely must not die!"
"Alright, alright!"
"Don't die in this battle, don't die in the next one. Didn't you say you'd take me to some lantern festival?"
"That'll be a few years down the road. Who knows if I'll even be alive then."
"Why wouldn't you be? I won't let you die, so you can't die!" Mancheng interrupted stubbornly. Then, as if remembering something, he added: "Don't worry. Once I get you transferred from that dead Peng Hong, I can protect you."
Zhongshan laughed so hard he doubled over. "Great... I'll wait for you to protect me... haha..."
"Don't laugh!" Mancheng muttered irritably. "I really will protect you. I'm not joking!"
Zhongshan laughed so hard he nearly passed out.
Mancheng jumped up and kicked him. "Stop laughing! Come with me and check out your horse! No, my horse!"
Wiping tears of laughter, Zhongshan asked: "What's wrong with it?"
"It's not eating well. Is something wrong with it? And you were singing its praises!"
Zhongshan felt wronged and retorted: "Bullshit! It's because you're not taking care of it properly!" The moment he said this, he regretted it, expecting a furious reaction. But instead, Mancheng looked aggrieved and said: "I took good care of it! That's why I'm asking you to see what's wrong with it..." He grabbed Zhongshan's hand. "Does it miss you?"
Zhongshan was gazing at Mancheng's slightly parted lips, so tempted to bite them. But when his hand was suddenly held, he felt an electric shock, an overwhelming urge to immediately strip Mancheng's clothes and possess him. However, catching a glimpse of that broad sword at Mancheng's side, he instantly cooled down. He cursed himself internally: What am I thinking! If I anger him, I wouldn't have enough heads!
Mancheng noticed Zhongshan staring blankly, seemingly in a daze. He called out: "Zhongshan, let's go see your horse..."
Zhongshan's mind was still struggling to calm himself, to stop thinking inappropriately. But hearing this familiar "Zhongshan"—dropping the surname, just the name, so intimate and warm—his heart melted. He nodded stupidly and followed Mancheng out of the tent like a zombie.
When they reached the stables, the yellow-grey horse recognized its former owner. It eagerly trotted over, snorting and nuzzling Zhongshan's face, licking him again and again. Mancheng snorted, clearly jealous.
Zhongshan observed: "It seems spirited to me!"
"It seems it likes you, not me." Mancheng said jealously: "When it sees me, it hangs its head sadly!"
"It just doesn't know you well!" Zhongshan patted the horse's head and smiled. "I raised it for so long, of course it would miss me! But don't worry. Once it gets familiar with you, it'll serve you loyally to the death!"
Mancheng nodded, but spotted a string of beads on Zhongshan's left wrist gleaming under the moonlight. His curiosity was piqued. Forgetting about the horse, he reached out to grab the beads while asking: "What's this?"
Zhongshan quickly pulled his hand back. "Mancheng, I can't give this to you!" He hid his hand behind his back.
Mancheng was stunned, then angry: "I'm not asking for it! Can't I just look?"
"You really won't want it?"
"I said I don't want it. Why would I lie to you?"
Zhongshan relaxed and carefully removed the beads, handing them over. Mancheng shot him a glance and snatched them, examining them closely. They were a string of sandalwood Buddhist prayer beads, with over a dozen perfectly smooth beads. Each bead was carved with a lifelike arhat, the lines finer than a hair. Each arhat was in a different pose, with unique features, clothing, and facial expressions all clearly visible.
Mancheng's face lit up with joy. He slipped them onto his wrist and grinned: "Mine now!"
Zhongshan was caught between laughter and tears. He tugged at Mancheng and pleaded: "Mancheng, didn't you promise you wouldn't take them?"
Mancheng put on an arrogant, overbearing expression. "What I say never counts!"
"Mancheng..." Zhongshan apologized: "Those are left to me by my mother! You're just playing around, but I treasure them like my life. Please give them back to me!"
Mancheng didn't care at all. He tossed out a challenge: "Try taking them from me if you dare!"
Zhongshan had no choice but to fall silent, feeling helpless.
Mancheng, having gotten his way, was in an excellent mood. He raised his wrist and examined the prayer beads under the moonlight.
Zhongshan gazed at that stunningly handsome face, his heart rippling with emotion. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Mancheng's wrist.
Mancheng was caught off guard. He tried to shake him off but couldn't. He angrily demanded: "Are you really going to fight for them?"
Zhongshan was naturally smooth-tongued, a master of romance. He frantically searched his mind for words to appease Mancheng. But he felt that no sweet talk could describe the overwhelming urge to stay by his side. So he blurted out: "I'll give them to you, Mancheng! Consider it giving you my life!"
Mancheng's servants and soldiers treated him with absolute respect. But this small foot soldier was not only unafraid but also showed such genuine affection. Mancheng found it both amusing and inexplicably touched. His clumsy mouth couldn't form words. He heard Zhongshan continue: "But promise me, when one day you don't like them anymore, don't throw them away. Give them back to me, okay?"
Mancheng suddenly noticed a flicker of sorrow and hardship in this young man's eyes, so close to his own age, that made his heart ache. Mancheng dropped his playful expression and nodded solemnly.
In truth, these beads had become insignificant to him now. Mancheng secretly resolved to use them to bind this country bumpkin firmly to his side.
The love, hate, and hardships of this lifetime were already destined to be inescapable.