The Cannon Fodder Also Has a Will to Survive [Rebirth] - Chapter 28.1

An Yunge had known about the Catalyst Bone from the beginning. While still in the Demonic Realm, he had used a small trick to eavesdrop on the conversation between Lin Jingyuan and Han Zhong.

Broadly speaking, the emergence of the Catalyst Bone was beneficial to him. Thus, An Yunge had previously been content to play the role of an innocent, feigning total ignorance. However, Han Zhong’s change in attitude toward him upon their return had sparked a sense of wariness. He felt that if he didn’t push the progress along, the thing he sought might slip through his fingers.

His decision to approach Xue Nian was one made after careful observation. Xue Nian seemed to know him intimately yet was inexplicably tolerant; as a result, An Yunge had allowed his true nature to leak out a few times to test the man’s limits.

Let Xue Nian be the messenger. Even if Xue Nian suspected him, the man wouldn’t dare press him for answers.

On the second day after An Jiu’s return, Fang Yuhe arrived for a “visit.” It was the same familiar kick to the door, followed by the same familiar insulting nicknames.

“Is the little waste back?”

At that moment, An Jiu was cleaning the room that hadn’t been touched for months. Lacking cultivation, his methods were humble, he had climbed a ladder to sweep cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling with a broom.

The commotion of Fang Yuhe’s entrance was so loud that An Jiu flinched. The ladder, which had no one to steady it, wobbled and began to tilt to the side.

“Aaaaaah!” An Jiu lost his balance and tumbled in the opposite direction of the ladder.

No matter how many times one experiences it, the sensation of weightlessness always makes the heart seize and pound. An Jiu instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and cradled his head, braced for the impact. Instead, he fell into an embrace thick with the scent of medicinal herbs.

Fang Yuhe had acted before his brain could process the situation. As soon as he saw An Jiu falling, he lunged forward and caught the boy. Holding An Jiu by the waist, his first thought was: How is this little waste’s waist so narrow and soft? It was quite comfortable to hold, making him instinctively want to tighten his grip to see just how thin it really was.

Stunned by his own sudden impulse, Fang Yuhe stiffened and then restrained himself, letting go. An Jiu sat up while clutching his waist, only then realizing he was sitting on Fang Yuhe’s lap.

Relieved that he wasn’t in pain, An Jiu patted his chest and turned to smile at his savior. “Thank you, Senior Brother Fang. It’s lucky you caught me.”

“Ah, oh you’re, you’re welcome,” Fang Yuhe replied, though something felt off.

Once he helped the boy up, it finally dawned on Fang Yuhe that An Jiu had fallen because of him. He had caused the fall, yet An Jiu was thanking him? What kind of saintly white lotus is this? Is there something wrong with his brain?

Fang Yuhe shot An Jiu a strange look. An Jiu suddenly remembered why he had fallen in the first place; his smile vanished instantly as he performed a theatrical face-change. “Fang Yuhe! You’ve gone too far!”

“Not calling me ‘Senior Brother’ anymore? How rude,” Fang Yuhe retorted.

An Jiu laughed out of sheer anger. “You’re talking to me about politeness? Are you polite?”

Always giving him insulting nicknames, never knocking, and always kicking the door… and this man had the audacity to call him rude! The more An Jiu thought about it, the angrier he got. He looked around, spotted his broom, snatched it up, and swung it at Fang Yuhe.

“What is this madness?” Fang Yuhe dodged nimbly. Seeing the broom sweep toward him again, he reached out, disarmed the boy, and snapped the broom in two with a violent crack. He then handed the two pieces back to An Jiu.

An Jiu: “…!”

He stared at the broken broom, and his eyes turned red with fury. This man had caused his fall and was still acting so arrogant. Would it have killed him to let An Jiu hit him once? Fang Yuhe was a near-Golden Core cultivator; a broom wouldn’t have even scratched him! Worst of all, he had destroyed An Jiu’s “weapon”!

An Jiu slammed the broken pieces onto the ground. His finger trembled as he pointed at Fang Yuhe, his voice shaking with rage. “Fang Yuhe! You! You! This was my only broom! How am I supposed to clean the room now!”

Fang Yuhe’s lip twitched. “A waste is a waste. What does it matter? Can’t you just use a Dust-Cleansing Spell?”

An Jiu’s chest was still heaving, the red at the corners of his eyes deepening. He glared at Fang Yuhe. “I have no cultivation! How am I supposed to use a spell with no cultivation!”

Fang Yuhe smirked. He leaned his arrogant, handsome face close to An Jiu’s and teased, “Call me ‘Good Big Brother,’ and I’ll do it for you. A fair trade, isn’t it?”

Ever since he’d delivered food to An Jiu twice, the memory of the boy’s reactions had made Fang Yuhe’s heart itch. He found himself constantly wanting to provoke him. Even Si Xuanye’s grounding of An Jiu hadn’t dampened his spirits; he had even considered breaking his Master’s restriction several times just to go play with An Jiu.

Before he could act, An Jiu had been abducted. Fang Yuhe admitted he had felt a bit of a loss during that time like finding a fun toy and losing it before he could truly play with it. But he didn’t think it was a great tragedy; he figured that over time, the novelty would fade.

Indeed, a month after An Jiu vanished, Fang Yuhe had found a new joy: taking his Master’s new disciple to the Trial Tower to farm materials. An Yunge’s talent was superb, and their coordination was exhilarating. Fang Yuhe was so immersed in this lifestyle that he often forgot he ever had another Junior Brother. He only thought of An Jiu occasionally in the dead of night, dismissing him as an insignificant loss.

Fang Yuhe didn’t realize this was a form of psychological self-defense constantly telling himself it didn’t matter to hide the truth from himself. He thought An Jiu wasn’t special.

Until this morning, when his Master summoned him to prepare pills for widening meridians and protecting the dantian. These didn’t require a new furnace, as the pharmacy had plenty. Fang Yuhe rarely questioned Si Xuanye, but this time, he asked why.

Si Xuanye told him: “The recipient has a special constitution. The standard pills with high impurities are unsuitable. You must put in the effort to purify the ingredients yourself.”

Fang Yuhe understood. Given Si Xuanye’s personality he wouldn’t even let An Jiu eat mortal food the requirements for pills would be even stricter. He was being asked to refine pills specifically for An Jiu!

This realization filled Fang Yuhe with energy. He rushed to An Jiu’s courtyard immediately. He didn’t realize why he was so hyperactive; he just wanted to verify his guess. He was so excited that he kicked the door, leading to the scene before him.

He stared intently at An Jiu’s face, waiting for a reaction, his breath hitching slightly. For some reason, he found teasing An Jiu delightful.

An Jiu’s eyes darted around. “Then you can’t use a spell. You have to sweep it by hand.”

Fang Yuhe narrowed his eyes, looking menacing. Yet, he wasn’t truly angry; he felt a sick sense of satisfaction. An Jiu’s reaction was indeed fun.

Seeing Han Zhong no, Fang Yuhe looking sinister and silent, An Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. He’d been too relaxed lately; he’d forgotten this man was a pervert who enjoyed seeing him cry. But since he’d already spoken the words, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to back down now?

After a moment of internal struggle, An Jiu suddenly grabbed Fang Yuhe’s sleeve and gave it two gentle tugs. “Yuhe-gege, will you agree? Please?” he asked sweetly.

Fang Yuhe felt a tingle at the tip of his heart. He instinctively slapped An Jiu’s hands away… but it wasn’t out of disgust. “Speak properly. No acting spoiled.”

An Jiu wrinkled his nose and withdrew his hands. “Oh…”

“Then I’ll—” Fang Yuhe started to regret his harshness and wanted to fix it, but he was interrupted.

“Senior Brother Fang! Stop bullying Xiao Jiu!”

A white figure blurred into the room, pulling An Jiu away and stepping between them. It was Xue Nian. After hearing the news from An Yunge last night, he had spent the night researching texts and even “wild histories” regarding Heavenly Spirit Roots and Catalyst Bones. Confirming An Yunge’s words, he had rushed back to find An Jiu.

He hadn’t expected to enter and see the door wide open, with Fang Yuhe slapping An Jiu’s hands away. Xue Nian knew the two didn’t get along or rather, Fang Yuhe looked down on An Jiu. In his previous life, Si Xuanye’s extraction of the spiritual root had been the signal that An Jiu was discarded, giving Fang Yuhe the green light to torture him without restraint.

Thinking of those past events, Xue Nian’s heart tightened with fear. He instinctively assumed Fang Yuhe was bullying the boy again.

Fang Yuhe’s mood soured instantly. Even if he continued the conversation, the feeling was gone. He looked at Xue Nian with blatant annoyance. “Junior Brother Xue Nian, why so defensive? Am I some kind of monster?”

Xue Nian looked back at An Jiu, his expression mournful. “Senior Brother, Xiao Jiu is pitiful enough. Stop bullying him.”

An Jiu poked his head out from behind Xue Nian, smirking at Fang Yuhe with schadenfreude.

Fang Yuhe: “…” Does that little brat look ‘pitiful’ to you?

Fang Yuhe pointed at An Jiu and hissed, “Come here. I’ll let the previous matter go.”

Xue Nian protested, “Don’t threaten him.”

Fang Yuhe ignored him, his eyes locked on An Jiu. An Jiu weighed the strength of the two and eventually shuffled over to Fang Yuhe, offering a flattering smile. “Senior Brother must keep his word.”

Satisfied, Fang Yuhe patted An Jiu’s head. “Naturally.” He suddenly felt that a “little waste” who could act spoiled and read the room was actually quite cute. It was much better than his previous fake aloofness.

Xue Nian was utterly confused. After giving his promise, Fang Yuhe turned and left the room. An Jiu knew he was going to get cleaning tools, so he stayed silent. Now, only An Jiu and Xue Nian remained.

“Senior Brother Xue Nian, let’s sit outside,” An Jiu suggested, looking at the messy room.

Xue Nian, always the attentive one, realized the room was a mess and that An Jiu lacked cultivation to clean it. “Shall I use a Water-Control Spell to wash the room for you?”

A Water-Control Spell was more taxing than a Dust-Cleansing Spell; it required encasing every object in water to vibrate away the dirt before evaporating the moisture. It left things looking brand new. Xue Nian was truly more devoted to An Jiu’s well-being than the others.

But An Jiu had finally managed to trick Fang Yuhe into manual labor; he didn’t want to give that up. “No need. Senior Brother Fang agreed to clean it. Give him the chance.”

Xue Nian didn’t press the issue. He was anxious to talk about something else. “Xiao Jiu, come here. I have something to ask you.”

Seeing his serious expression, An Jiu followed him to the stone table in the courtyard. Xue Nian’s voice was heavy. “Xiao Jiu, do you know that Lin Jingyuan gave Master a Catalyst Bone?”

An Jiu’s tension eased. He smiled. “So that’s what you wanted to say. The Demonic Emperor used it as a trade for Master to break my seal.”

Xue Nian felt a wave of sorrow for the boy who could still smile. “Xiao Jiu,” he said solemnly, “Have you considered that the Catalyst Bone is meant to be used on you?”

An Jiu remained optimistic. “I have. Given Master’s personality, how could he not make the most of having both a Heavenly Spirit Root and a Catalyst Bone? He’ll likely use the bone on me to replicate another Heavenly Spirit Root.”

An Jiu was at peace with it. Compared to having his root extracted and becoming a cripple, the bone would at least leave him with a spiritual root. He wouldn’t be entirely useless; he’d be healthier than a mortal. To him, this was a much better ending.

“You know?” Xue Nian was stunned, then realized. “Then you must not know how the Catalyst Bone must be used to reach its maximum efficiency. Did Master tell you not to be in a hurry to break the seal?”

An Jiu truly didn’t know that part. Si Xuanye had told him not to be in a hurry.

Xue Nian pulled out several books he had categorized last night and handed them to An Jiu. He explained the knowledge regarding the interaction between the two. Specifically, the reaction that occurs when a Catalyst Bone meets a Heavenly Spirit Root.

Usually, a Catalyst Bone is simply nurtured in a host’s body. But a Heavenly Spirit Root is different because of its strong “assimilative” nature. If the bone is placed in a Heavenly Spirit Root host, it will be assimilated and turned into an ordinary bone. Once removed, it loses its power.

There was only one way to make both work, and it was a method so cruel it was rarely recorded.