"Stop playing dead, get up!"
A sharp, piercing voice exploded in his ear.
Yi Xiaochuan opened his eyes to find a few young eunuchs surrounding him, pain radiating through his entire body. Memories flooded back; he remembered he was now the chef in the imperial kitchen. However, as a newcomer, he was bullied daily by the eunuchs, always hungry and often beaten.
"I've fallen to this state, and you still bully me?"
"You've been castrated, and so have we. We're all unfortunate people; why must the unfortunate make life harder for one another?" Yi Xiaochuan's face was filled with indignation. He couldn't understand why these people, just as miserable as him and stripped of their dignity, still chose to torment him.
"So what if we bully you?"
"Hey, are you still throwing a tantrum today?"
"Teach him a lesson!"
...
The young eunuchs began punching and kicking him, seemingly trying to make up for the grievances they'd suffered elsewhere. Yi Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and endured; he was Yi Xiaochuan, not the cowardly Gao Yao who liked to take advantage of others.
The beating lasted for half a stick of incense, the continuous pain exceeding Yi Xiaochuan's limits.
"Please, stop hitting me! I can't take it anymore."
Whether it was his pleas that had an effect or the eunuchs growing tired, the beating finally stopped. Just as Yi Xiaochuan let out a sigh of relief, a bucket of cold water was dumped over him.
It was the middle of winter, and the freezing water made him shiver, aggravating his wounds and eliciting pained groans.
"Beating him feels good all over."
"Yeah."
"Don't kill him."
"If he dies, we'll report it as a death from illness; people die all the time in the palace."
"No, if he dies, who will we bully?"
"Right!"
"Hahaha!"
...
After their laughter, the eunuchs stripped Yi Xiaochuan of his clothes, dried him off, wrapped him in a thin blanket, and tossed him next to a still-warm cauldron before leaving with giggles.
"It's so cold, so painful. Damn it, why is this happening to me... You dogs, just wait! I won't let you go!"
For the first time, Yi Xiaochuan's eyes reflected the same resentment as Gao Yao's.
Soon, he fainted again.
...
It was like a cycle.
With the external help of the Tiger Pendant that ignored injuries, the fierce tiger, and Meng family's mark, along with outrageous luck and gourmet food, Gao Yao conquered Xiang Yu, Cui Wenzi, Yu Shu, and Meng Tian, healing Yu Shu with Cui Wenzi's help. Eventually, he encountered Yi Xiaochuan, who had become the head chef.
In the imperial kitchen.
The setup remained unchanged, but the roles of the two protagonists had quietly switched.
"Xiaochuan, are you sure it was Liu Bang who pushed us into the fire pit?"
The roles had simply switched to Gao Yao.
"Yes, after I became the head chef..."
Yi Xiaochuan recited the same words Gao Yao once said.
"I was sworn brothers with him..."
Gao Yao echoed Yi Xiaochuan's former words.
"You don't believe me, but believe in a joke of a sworn brother?"
Having endured countless hardships, Yi Xiaochuan was furious at these words.
"Xiaochuan, I won't allow you to speak ill of my sworn brother. Liu Bang is not that kind of person; I believe in him."
"And Xiaochuan, I truly sympathize with you for becoming a eunuch, but that shouldn't be a reason for you to harm others. We must clarify things to avoid hurting the good."
Gao Yao's demeanor was more loathsome than Yi Xiaochuan's had been.
"I don't need your cheap sympathy; I—"
Before Yi Xiaochuan could finish, dizziness overwhelmed him, and he fainted once more.
...
"Xiaochuan, how could you become the treacherous Zhao Gao? He's a villain, a historical sinner!"
A voice filled with disappointment echoed.
"I..."
Yi Xiaochuan was dazed as memories surged; he had become Zhao Gao.
"Yi Xiaochuan, look at what you've become, fighting for power every day. Where did that innocent, kind-hearted Yi Xiaochuan go?"
"Becoming a eunuch shouldn't be an excuse to become a bad person."
"I sympathize with you; I truly do..."
...
Gao Yao, now in splendid robes and exuding charisma, looked on with deep sorrow.
"Gao Yao, what right do you have to say that? The moment you arrived in this world, you became sworn brothers with Xiang Yu, and with your culinary skills, you became friends with the renowned doctor Cui Wenzi. You even conquered Princess Yu Shu with food.
The Tiger Pendant that once belonged to me ended up with you, granting you superhuman strength and the ability to drive away fierce tigers, making you Meng Tian's brother and the commander of the formidable Meng family army. What right do you have to criticize me? Do you know how much I've suffered, how many pains I've endured? When I was helpless and in despair, where were you? Embracing your Yu Shu in romance?
I'm handsome yet I have to be a eunuch, while you're ugly yet everyone loves you. I can't accept this; I hate you! Heaven must be blind!"
"I don't need your sympathy; screw your sympathy..."
Oppressed by a cruel life, Yi Xiaochuan's twisted psyche couldn't take Gao Yao's condescending words. He screamed hysterically.
Then, like Gao Yao once did, he sat on the ground and wept pitifully.
"I know you've suffered a lot, but that cannot be an excuse for you to become a bad person."
Gao Yao repeated a line Yi Xiaochuan had once said.
"Get lost!"
Yi Xiaochuan wiped his tears and yelled.
The two then battled for two thousand years, ultimately perishing together.
With a loud crash, everything shattered.
Back in the room.
The Ghost Flower Stone Plate lay quietly on the ground.
Yi Xiaochuan and Gao Yao awoke simultaneously.
"Yi Xiaochuan, how did you end up like this? You've become just like me!"
Gao Yao wore a mocking expression.
Yi Xiaochuan's face turned red, speechless.
"Now that you're the main villain, is it my turn to eliminate you in the name of justice?" Gao Yao asked mockingly.
"This is all fake."
Cornered, Yi Xiaochuan weakly shouted.
Gao Yao snorted disdainfully.
"Yi, the tragedy of Gao Yao is caused by you, and your later tragedy is more about yourself than Gao Yao. Do you think I'm right?"
Cao Yi, while putting away the Ghost Flower Stone Plate into his gourd, looked at Yi Xiaochuan.
Yi Xiaochuan remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
"You two harbor too deep of a grudge; I can't resolve it nor have I ever thought of doing so. The best I can do is send you back to the modern world."
Cao Yi added.
When the idea of returning to the modern world was mentioned, both their faces showed a flicker of anger. But recalling what they had seen in the illusion, their expressions darkened again.
"What the illusion shows is just one side of things. For example, that person from Beiyan Mountain who has never shown his face; finding him in advance may not lack a solution."
Cao Yi remarked.
"I remember he stayed in Lishan for a while."
"Go find him."
...
Yi Xiaochuan and Gao Yao stood up.
"No need; he's already here."
Cao Yi turned to look at the courtyard entrance.