Xiang Yu said, "Why don't you just give her a call?"
Yu Ji and Xiao Huan: "What's a telephone?"
I took out my phone and showed it to Xiang Yu; there wasn't a single bar of signal—I didn't even know if I could get through to 110.
Xiang Yu chuckled and said, "Then there's no need to rush off. Staying for another two or three days shouldn't be too much trouble, right?"
I said solemnly, "I mainly need to take the medicine and go check on Brother Ying and Kezi. I'm really afraid that if Kezi succeeds this time, it will be terrible."
Xiang Yu sighed and said, "Then I won't keep you any longer. Take good care of them when you see them. If possible, bring them to my place so we can have a get-together."
I wiped my sweat and asked, "How many years has it been from where they are to where you are?"
Xiang Yu said, "It will only be about ten years."
"In another ten years or so, when Brother Ying gets old, Ke Zi is a very likely candidate. But if he comes here, will we all have to call him Uncle? Also, my chariot can run for hundreds of years at a time, and if you're not careful, you'll be gone."
Xiang Yu said sadly, "It seems we won't be able to get together again. I really miss Shishi and Lao Wu."
Yu Ji blinked and asked, "Your Majesty, who are these people...?"
Xiang Yu casually replied, "He is a good friend and brother I met in another world."
Yu Ji asked in bewilderment, "Another world? What kind of place is that? Is it far from Wu?"
Just as I was about to find an excuse to brush it off, Xiang Yu stopped me and said, "Xiao Qiang, I don't intend to hide this from A Yu."
"That's true. He'd risk his life for Yu Ji; there's nothing he needs to hide from her." I could only nod, but my mind was even more confused. This would definitely change the situation regarding Yu Ji's suicide, but... even if Xiang Yu didn't tell Yu Ji, even if Liu Bang surrounded him again, would Xiang Yu just stand by and watch Yu Ji die?
Yu Ji rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu thought for a moment, seemingly unable to speak for the time being, and could only say, "I'll tell you slowly when there's time later."
I shouted, "If you're going to tell the truth, then tell it all. You can't selectively hide anything. Let's see how you're going to lie about Zhang Bing."
Xiang Yu coughed awkwardly a few times and said, "Ayu, Xiaoqiang and I will sleep tonight, you should get some rest too."
Yu Ji didn't ask any further questions and left the tent with a smile. This is the legendary woman of exceptional character; she never asks what a man doesn't want to say. No wonder Xiang Yu said she would never ask a question like, "If I and your mother fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?" But then again, the question itself isn't difficult to answer; a single sentence would suffice. The difficulty lies in the fact that it's asked by the woman you love most—that's what makes it so complicated. Hmm, I must get Yu Ji to ask Xiang Yu this question sometime.
Xiao Huan followed her out with her head down, muttering to herself, "Zhang Bing? That's a strange name, but it sounds nice."
Xiang Yu watched the two figures disappear into the distance and said with a wry smile, "I really don't know how to tell them."
"...Actually, I was just joking. Just tell your sister-in-law that Zhang Bing is my wife."
Xiang Yu waved his hand and said, "No, that's not it. There are many key points I still don't understand how to explain to A Yu."
"Like Gaixia?" I paused and said cautiously, "Brother Yu, actually I also have a big dilemma that I don't know whether I should tell you."
Xiang Yu laughed and said, "What can't we say to each other? Your Brother Yu is no longer the insignificant Brother Yu I used to be. Tell me, what do you want?"
"...I came here this time to find Brother Ying and the others."
"I know that, what's wrong?"
"The reason I went to them was because I was afraid that Ke Zi would really stab Ying Ge."
"I know that too, Xiaoqiang, just say what you want to say."
“I went to stop them, firstly because I didn’t want to see them killing each other, and secondly because… Brother Ying can’t die.”
Xiang Yu wasn't stupid. He touched his forehead and said, "Oh, I can't die?"
“Yes, Ying Ge’s death signifies a major shift in the existing historical order. In that case, we will all be wiped out.” I explained the entire story of the Human Realm Axis to him. Xiang Yu frowned deeply at the end and said, “So, does this mean we must continue living as before, or face annihilation?”
I nodded.
"So... even if I wanted to kill Liu Bang at the Feast at Hongmen, I couldn't. And at Gaixia, I was destined to suffer that crushing defeat?"
I could only nod again.
Xiang Yu suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room, exclaiming excitedly, "This is not fair! Do you know that this is not fair?"
I said cautiously, "Actually, it's quite fair. Everyone only gets one life; you just took an extra blue potion."
Xiang Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly flew into a rage: "Putting everything else aside, I will never allow A Yu to die again! I'll send troops right now to wipe out that brat Liu Bang! So what if he dies again? What do I, Xiang Yu, have to fear!"
I quickly tried to calm him down, saying, "Brother Yu, calm down. If you knew beforehand, would you have let your wife commit suicide? I can't just stand by and do nothing. Besides—can you really bring yourself to do that to Bangzi?"
Xiang Yu slumped down, crushing the wine cup in his hand into a stick.
I said sadly, "Brother Yu, I really shouldn't have come."
When Xiang Yu heard me say that, he forced a smile and said, "Don't say that to Xiao Qiang. Just the fact that you let me see A Yu again makes me better than anything else."
I said embarrassedly, "In this day and age, your sister-in-law has always been by your side, so it has nothing to do with me."
"That's different. You taught me that what's lost is precious, and that's more important than conquering the country and becoming emperor." Xiang Yu pondered for a long time before finally saying, "Alright, next time you come, restore Liu Bang's memories, and I'll give him the country again, just for A Yu and all of you innocent people. Let's get together and discuss what to do. Now, even if I wanted to back out, I couldn't. Fortunately, there's still some time. As long as A Yu doesn't die, I'm willing to feign defeat and let him win."
Hearing Xiang Yu say that, a huge weight was lifted from my heart. I said with deep emotion, "I'm sorry, Brother Yu. If I hadn't come, you wouldn't have been in such a predicament. I came to find you firstly because I haven't had any food for the past three days, and secondly because... I missed you."
Xiang Yu had come to terms with it by now. He stood up, patted my shoulder, and said, "If you hadn't come looking for me, I probably would have lived my life the way I always have. In that case, you wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble. You came looking for me because you consider me a brother, and I gained A Yu back because of that. It's just that repeating what I did before is a bit boring. Weighing the pros and cons, I should still thank you."
I laughed and said, "Don't worry about it too much, we're brothers. Besides, the main reason I came to find you was because I had nowhere to eat."
Xiang Yu: "..."
Chapter 87 Winter Swimming Enthusiasts
The next day I got up early without disturbing anyone, and accompanied by Xiang Yu, the two of us and two horses went to find my carriage.