Chapter 5

Wrapped in the quilt, Ren Baqian finally felt a bit warmer. However, his mind was in a mess. He had indeed come back, and this time, he brought the quilt with him. Last time, he had brought a chair and instant noodles, and when he returned, he had brought the straw from under him. Now, he had brought the quilt. It seemed that anything he was in direct contact with would be brought along when he traveled between worlds. However, he still had no clue how he was traveling. There were no signs or abnormalities; the first time he traveled, there was nothing strange at all. The next two times, he traveled in his sleep. This time, the interval between his travels was three days. Last time, he stayed in this world for three days. It seemed that he traveled every three days, at least from what he could tell so far. He just needed to see if he would return after three days. Last time, he stayed here for three days, and nine days passed on Earth. So, if he returned and stayed for three days, only one day had passed here? Ren Baqian thought as he crawled out of the quilt and felt his way toward the door. Sure enough, he found a hard steamed bun and a bowl of salty water with a strange smell. It seemed no one had noticed his disappearance for a day. He threw the bun into a corner, poured out the salty water, and put the bowl back in place. Feeling chilly all over, he crawled back into the quilt. Just as he returned to the quilt, Ren Baqian suddenly thought of an important issue. Last time, he had come wearing shorts and a tank top, but this time, he was only in his underwear because he had been sleeping. If that woman summoned him... the scene would be too beautiful, and he didn't dare to think about it. How could he explain the quilt? How did an extra quilt appear out of nowhere? He couldn't explain it. Thinking about these things, Ren Baqian felt a headache. He had always hoped that the woman would summon him quickly, but now he was praying that she wouldn't summon him within three days. He needed to go back and change into his shorts and tank top first. Life is full of disappointments, and Ren Baqian finally believed this saying. The more you want something, the less likely it is to happen. And when you don't want it, it happens. Ren Baqian was awakened by the sound of the iron door being pushed open. Two people came in, both wearing bright armor and carrying long swords, similar to what he had seen before. They saw Ren Baqian wrapped in the quilt. Behind them, a jailer stood at the door, his eyes wide open. Clearly, only one person had been brought in, so where did the quilt come from? "Follow us," one of the soldiers said, looking down at Ren Baqian. "Can I walk like this?" Ren Baqian asked with a forced smile, feeling extremely awkward. "Stop talking nonsense," the other soldier scolded, grabbing Ren Baqian's arm and lifting him up. Seeing Ren Baqian in just his underwear, the soldier's mouth twitched. They had interrogated prisoners before, but they had never seen one who slept naked. "Where are your clothes? Put them on." "The clothes... are gone," Ren Baqian said, at a loss for words. When the man was brought in, both of them had seen him wearing clothes. How did he end up with just a piece of cloth? The two soldiers immediately looked at the jailer. The jailer, feeling their gaze, nearly died of fright and quickly said, "It has nothing to do with us. The door has never been opened since he was brought in. I don't know what happened to his clothes." To prove his point, he added, "Even the quilt wasn't there when he was brought in. I don't know how it appeared." The two soldiers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt. It seemed the jailer wasn't lying; he wouldn't dare to. So, what was going on? The jailer continued, "Look at him. Does he look like he's been in jail for days? He doesn't have a speck of dust on him. He looks like he just crawled out of bed. There's something wrong with this person, but it has nothing to do with us." "Take him away first," one of the soldiers said. The other grabbed Ren Baqian's arm and pushed him toward the door. "Move, or you'll regret it." "Can I wrap myself in the quilt?" Ren Baqian tried to negotiate. A kick to the buttocks and a black footprint were his answer. The two soldiers took him and the quilt outside, where two more were waiting. Ren Baqian thought that even if there were four of them, he couldn't escape. He was overestimating himself. After leaving the courtyard and turning a corner, they arrived at a bustling street. Ren Baqian, in just his underwear, was escorted onto the street. He was met with gazes from all directions and laughter. "Look, this guy is just wearing a loincloth." "Was he caught from a brothel?" "Hey! Look at that bulge, he's not small." "This guy is pretty fair-skinned, he doesn't look like a commoner." The last person was wrong; on Earth, many commoners looked like this. Ren Baqian's face turned red, and he almost buried his head between his legs. The four soldiers showed no intention of letting him cover himself, just pushing him forward. "My reputation is ruined," Ren Baqian lamented. Was this considered streaking? And in front of so many people. The only thing that gave him a bit of comfort was that he still had his underwear. Another thing that made him feel better was that he still had some assets. If he didn't, he would really have no face to show. Ren Baqian, with his two pounds of flesh and in just his underwear, was escorted to the palace, which he had seen when he first entered the city. At first, he was extremely embarrassed, but later, he decided to let it all go and let them say what they wanted. At the end of the street was an open space, followed by a stone bridge and an inner river, and then the palace walls. The buildings he had seen from a distance were all inside. The palace walls were about ten meters high, and the palaces inside were even taller, visible from a distance, showing the grandeur of the structures. Ren Baqian was taken in through a side door, expecting to see the woman immediately, but instead, he was left in a square with two soldiers guarding him while the other two went inside. He felt the sun here was bigger and hotter than on Earth. It was morning, and standing there for a while made him dizzy. He didn't know how long he stood there until three drumbeats woke him up. Then came the sound of many footsteps as people emerged from the tallest palace. "Is this the end of the court session?" Ren Baqian guessed, then thought, "Is that woman the emperor? Can women be emperors in this world? In Chinese history, there was only Wu Zetian." Ren Baqian kept his head down as people, who might be high-ranking officials, passed by, all giving him side glances. After all, his current appearance didn't belong here; he looked like he had just been dragged out of a brothel. "Haha," someone laughed. Ren Baqian lowered his head even more. "Who is this?" someone asked the nearby soldier. "He's the prisoner the current emperor wants to see." Then came the sound of footsteps fading away. Once they were gone, Ren Baqian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Standing in just his underwear, being gawked at, was too much for his sense of shame. The two soldiers who had left came back in a hurry. "The current emperor wants to see him, let's go." Ren Baqian was escorted along the edge of the square, turning a few corners before reaching a smaller palace, where he waited at the door. Along the way, everyone he saw was sneaking glances and laughing.