Category: Let Me Shoulder this Blame!

Thank you Busan for the coffee! 🍰☕

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Chapter 9

Su Shi had been detained for one day and one night.
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As the empire’s marshal and one with an extensive record of evils, there was certainly no good treatment for him in the hands of the insurgents.

He was not given food or water, and he had to endure the cold. His injuries were still faintly oozing blood. His life value – a.k.a. health points – had fallen to sixty. He was hanging on the edge. He took a bit of melted snow to moisten his throat and pillowed his head on his arm to rest.

For the evaluation of [shouldering the blame till death], the system prohibited any suicidal behavior. But if he was carelessly killed by the insurgents, who were filled with righteous indignation, then it would undoubtedly be a tragic ending.

In that case, maybe the rating would be higher.

Thinking this way, it was a little bit better for Su Shi, who was inexplicably forgiven by the protagonist.

His original plan was to secretly help Wayne build a new country. Then along with all the misunderstandings he would be smeared with a lot of terrible names. In the end, he would be buried in the darkness before the dawn of the new country.

Looking at it now, the difficulty of implementing this plan was quite high. However, if he were to withdraw his hand now, and if Wayne could seize this chaotic period of the government to deliver a heavy blow, there might be some hope of obtaining victory.

Anyway, as long as he died in the dark before the dawn, then it seemed that there wasn’t much difference in how he fell.

The heavens have gone dark again. Through the gaps in the dilapidated roof, one could see the sparse starlight.

Su Shi relaxed his body as he lay on his arm and sighed very lightly. He could not help letting out a sleepy yawn.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
There was not a single part of his body that was not in pain. The cold had caused a high fever to burn through his body, and his vision was a bit fuzzy. The night sky illuminated by soft light was unexpectedly beautiful.

After five years of hard work, asides from those days in a coma after suffering serious injury, he had not enjoyed such a relaxed treatment for a long time.

With his current physical condition, if he slept now, he may not be able to wake up again.

Perhaps this was also good. Since he has inextricably re-engaged with the protagonist, things were getting out of control. If things continued this way, he may not even retain the experience points he earned.

His consciousness was dimming and his body was getting colder. Su Shi instinctively curled up his body and coughed twice. He faintly heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

A couple of high-ranking military officers from the insurgent army suddenly rushed in.

Su Shi could not react in time. The red-eyed youth heading the pack picked him up and pressed him firmly against the wall. “You traitor, you must pay for His Royal Highness Wayne with your life!”

“What did you say?”

His bleary consciousness that was about to slip into the abyss suddenly recovered. Su Shi’s gaze narrowed and he immediately woke up. “What about Wayne? Did something happen to him?”

His fiercely beating heart made it hard to breath. His cheeks were still flushed with fever while his lips were a pale color.

Things have already progressed to this point. If the mission failed here, then he must turn around and go directly to the presidential palace.
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“Al, wait a second.”

The young man who came in after stopped the actions of his comrade. He looked at him thoughtfully, and spoke in a heavy tone, “News just came from the presidential palace that His Royal Highness died from fatal wounds. In order to clear suspicion as soon as possible, the body had been secretly transported out of the presidential palace.”

Su Shi returned to his senses. He urgently checked on the protagonist’s status and found that he was still alive and kicking. Then he sighed in relief. His head lowered as he pondered exactly what was going on.

The young man with sorrowful eyes, who was called Al, tightened his grip on Su Shi. “What are we waiting for? Since the Terence government can do this, then we can also kill Daniel, and have him pay for His Highness Wayne with his life!”

“Nightingale, has the news been spread?”

This bit of effort was enough to sort out the situation. Su Shi’s tone was heavy. He couldn’t care about the suffocating force around his throat. He was gazing at the man who spoke before.

Su Shi knew everything about the insurgent army like the back of his hand. The real name of the youth was Carter. He was a civilian. He was a junior in the military academy with him and Wayne. He was the brain of the insurrection army.

At this time, the only one who could control the situation was probably him.

At the familiar form of address, the youth’s pupils shrink to pinpricks. He looked at Su Shi for half a day with palpitating fear, and finally hesitatedly opened his mouth. “Yes, Dan- senior.”

“You listen, there are people in the government who want to replace me. They will deliberately release this kind of news to incite you to anger and have you kill me in desperate revenge for Wayne.”

The short duration of strength that he saved up was all exhausted. Daniel struggled to raise his hand to hold Al’s arm. It was mostly by the other’s strength that he was barely able to support his body and not slip onto the ground.

“I can guarantee that Wayne is still alive. There must be an ambush in the presidential palace. If you don’t have the leadership of Wayne, then it is equivalent to finding your own way. What you have to do, you should already know in your hearts…”

Su Shi wasn’t afraid of these people killing him. He was afraid that they would be blinded by anger and rushed the presidential palace with hot-blooded boldness only to die senselessly.

His mission was based on the success of the uprising. If this time the insurgents were hit hard, even if he dodged his death, the mission would still be a failure.

The clear worries in his eyes finally had no more disguise. Su Shi gently gasped. His pale eyebrows were knotted tightly as he looked obsessively at Carter, who was still hesitating.

Al couldn’t understand his words. He slammed Su Shi on the wall with anxiety. “You said that Wayne is all right. Why should we believe you?!”

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Chapter 8

The presidential palace became a big mess.

The situation that Su Shi had been painstakingly creating for a long time finally bore fruit. In a split second, the Terence government, which had become accustomed to operating under the central command of Marshal Daniel, lost their chief executive officer and was almost completely paralyzed.

The president was urgently called from his bed, and eventually the panicked situation was stabilized. However, the meticulous arrangement of many matters was still left unattended, and many orders were difficult to communicate immediately and effectively.

The increasingly chaotic staffing had finally caught Wayne’s attention.

“Exactly what happened? You’ve been here all along, but where is Daniel?”

When Nathan came to deliver breakfast, Wayne took the chance to question him. The lieutenant was always by Daniel’s side. Some ominous premonition was beginning to stir in his heart.

The lieutenant met his gaze. Only after a moment of silence did he then open his mouth to reply. “The insurgent army seized the marshal. They are demanding the release of Your Royal Highness Wayne. The two sides are still negotiating for the time being. Please be patient.”

The hand that held his wrist suddenly tightened and the lieutenant raised his head. For the first time, he saw a mixture of shock, anxiety, and pain on Wayne’s face.

Turbulent emotions roiled in Wayne’s eyes. However, it was only for a moment, and then it was forcibly suppressed by rationality. “When did this happen? Is there no protection detail around him? How could his whereabouts be leaked?”

“Just last night. The marshal did not want others to see his weak state, so he refused the guard escort. His whereabouts are top secret and we don’t know why it was leaked.”

Nathan slowly pulled the grip off his arm. He bowed his head and broke off their gaze. Then he meticulously pushed the soup bowl forward.

“The marshal gave up on resisting and asked the insurgents to let me go. I was ordered to look after Your Royal Highness. Your condition also determines the safety of the marshal, so please eat properly and heal up your injuries as soon as possible.”

“But you should also know that they will not be merciful to him…”

Not at all.

Wayne’s gaze fell upon that bowl of soup. The tepid surface of the soup was calm, without a trace of turmoil.

The plan to send him back to Isaton Palace was flawed. Although the identity of the royal family was enough to temporarily save his life, there were many radicals in the Terence government who would rather use their own death to intensify the situation and wage war.

As long as he returned to Isaton Palace, there would be an assassin tailing him, so he had hoped that Daniel would not be present.

He had long perceived the hidden dangers, but he did not poke at the holes in the plan, because for someone of Daniel’s identity and circumstance to do this much to protect him, it was already to the limit.

But now, there were enough bargaining chips.

The marshal was still in the hands of the insurgent army. The president definitely would not allow anything to happen during the hostage exchange. No one would have the courage to assassinate Wayne at this time.

The exchange location was top secret, and even the lieutenant was not fully informed.

It was Daniel who personally disclosed the information of his whereabouts to the insurgent army and voluntarily fell into their hands, all to ensure Wayne’s absolute safety.

“Nathan, at that time… did he have anything to say to me?”

Wayne tried hard to keep his tone calm as he questioned Nathan in an unhurried manner.

He still remembered, before Daniel stepped out the door of his cell, he had swallowed back some words.

There must have been something he wanted to convey to Wayne, but he wasn’t able to say it. Perhaps it was because their past scars were too deep, or perhaps they still have not found the right time.

Or maybe it was due to that bullet he shot at Daniel.

Meeting his gaze, the lieutenant’s eyes turned faintly red, and he quickly lowered his head.

This action caused Wayne’s heart to tighten fiercely. It was like a stream of hot water rolling over his internal organs, stabbing him, and stealing his breath away.

He must know.

Wayne’s voice was hoarse, but his tone was still calm, calmer than any previous sentence, “Tell me, what does he want to say to me?”

That unswervingly determined body trembled lightly. Nathan raised his head and he met that gaze, which was burning so hot that it seemed like magma might spill out.

The marshal’s pale face seemed to be floating in front of him. Daniel’s faint smile was soft and relieved, so relieved that Nathan couldn’t help but have a strong fear.

The lieutenant’s chest violently fluctuated a few times before he finally muttered, “The marshal said to tell you to remember to eat well, take care of your injuries, and live well…”

He just wanted to tell him to live.

Wayne silently lowered his gaze and sat motionless. His figure solidified into an icy statue.

The magma cast everything into a hard shell. All the emotions were firmly sealed in it, leaving only a subtle shadow of pain.

“Nathan, I know you can be trusted. Listen to me.”

All the plans were overthrown in a split second. Wayne spoke in a deep voice. His tone had become unquestionably tough and firm.

“He must have been planning for this all along. Daniel has been sitting in the executive center for a long time. The current government does not have a competent administrator. On the day of the hostage exchange, the internal government would definitely be in a mess. Launching an attack at this time will be the most favorable for the insurgent army.”

Nathan’s gaze quickly became focused and he nodded silently.

“This fight will happen after the exchange of hostages. Daniel will not be able to help the government win this battle. According to his previous performance, he did not even leave any back road for himself.”

Wayne quickly integrated all known situations, but his thoughts became more and more submerged.

He met the lieutenant’s gaze and his throat tightened faintly.

“He didn’t intend to come back from the beginning. We must stop him… no matter what happens, we must make sure that he lives. Nathan, do you understand?”

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Author Corner

Su Shi: N- n- no, shut up, shut up… (ノQ口Q)ノ

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤

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Chapter 7

Su Shi lifted his head and looked up at him.

The gaze on him was very calm. Calm to the point that it could even be called warm.

It was warm enough to cause one to ignore the dripping blood.

“…There isn’t.”

Su Shi withdrew his gaze. Applying force to the lieutenant’s arm, he pushed himself up. His face rapidly became even paler from this forceful movement.
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Because of his poor health he had momentarily lowered his defenses, but he quickly put his guard back up, and his gaze became cold. In a clear voice, he spoke in an indifferent manner, “I didn’t come here to reminisce. If His Royal Highness does not have any other matters then I will leave now.”

No matter what, Su Shi was still a top-notch host player, even if he didn’t have his experience points anymore, he still had to act with dignity.

After all, the people who misunderstood him were still in the majority. He still has the chance to shoulder this misunderstanding to death. As long as he persevered, he could still win.

Hearing the other party’s cold tone, Wayne narrowed his eyes. He looked at Daniel for a long time. Suddenly, he lowered his gaze and laughed lightly.

The brilliance in his eyes gradually drained away into insipid shades.

“I understand. Daniel… you remained here, could it be that you have something to say to me?”

“That’s right. I will have them put you in isolation. You will be well taken care of. In two days time, you will be sent back to Isaton Palace.”

After Wayne’s reminder, Su Shi remembered the business that he nearly forgot about. He took a deep breath to make himself more alert, and then he turned around and looked at Wayne.

“[His Royal Highness Wayne is getting along very well with President Terence. He agrees to give up past grudges, return to Isaton Palace, and cooperate with the government to work together for the country’s future.] A news article like this, how do you feel about it?”

“Not bad. The Terence government will think that this is a good opportunity to drive a wedge between the insurgent army and me. While the insurgent army can confirm my position through this news report, and then find a way to rescue me.”

Wayne was silent for a moment. He watched Daniel walk to the door. Only then did he whisper, “If it’s possible, Daniel, I hope that you won’t be there at that time.”
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The plan was not foolproof. If any sudden changes cropped up, he really didn’t want to see the other party risk his life to protect him once again.

The hand pressing up against the door handle suddenly froze. Daniel did not respond, but he also did not continue to open the door.

The lieutenant firmly held onto the weakened marshal. Nathan looked at Daniel like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“You can rest assured that we are still enemies. You are a loathsome traitor. You murdered our teacher. I will never ever forgive you in my lifetime.”

Wayne spoke softly. His tone of voice did not match the contents of his words. It was very gentle and warm. “So that day, don’t let me see you, okay?”

“Okay…”

The person standing by the door responded back softly. Then, the stooped and tired back straightened up into the firm stance of a soldier.

He turned around and met Wayne’s gaze as if there was something more he wanted to say, but he did not speak at all. Slowly, he stepped out the door with the lieutenant.

The door closed slowly with a soft sigh.

“You say…”

Nathan helped him into the car. Su Shi leaned back exhaustedly in the passenger seat. Still holding onto faint wishful thinking he said, “Those words he said at the end, was he trying to comfort me?”

Nathan meticulously raised his hand to put the car into gear. He opened the temperature control system. After a moment of silence he whispered a sentence.

“Maybe His Highness Wayne was really fooled by you and once again believes you are a traitor, so he wanted to formally break ties with you.”

Su Shi opened his eyes and looked at the lieutenant out of the corner of his eye, “Are you comforting me right now?”

……

The loyal lieutenant subconsciously held his breath. His unswervingly determined face twisted slightly. He was caught in a dilemma and did not know what to say.

“Forget it, I won’t ask anymore.”

Su Shi smiled lightly, shook his head helplessly, and turned his eyes to the window. “The heavens will strike you with lightning if you lie*, so I won’t implicate you…”

[*T/N: The Chinese version of “your nose will grow longer if you lie” or “bad things happen to liars.”]

He had yet to finish talking when their car trembled violently all of a sudden. There was a harsh explosion. Then a glare of white light consumed their field of vision.

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First off, Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Check this post to see what surprises I have in store for the Lunar New Year period.

Next, I have marvelous news to announce. The wonderful Syeki has kindly offered to co-translate LMSTB with me. So the second arc, which Syeki is working on now, will be updated more frequently. Yay! I will credit every chapter that Syeki worked on, so that you’ll know who’s helping to bring you the fast updates. ^-^

Finally, thank you to everyone who supported this story on ko-fi: Tokki, Reading Angel, and Anonymous

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Chapter 6

For an instance, Wayne almost thought he had seen the Daniel of before.

The thin body suddenly exploded into action. Every movement was clean, accurate, and decisive, without a trace of superfluous action. He pushed him out of danger without allowing room for explanation.

He did not even give him room for a reaction.

The influence of the royal family was a very good excuse, but it could not be used as a reason for Daniel to save himself.

That firm and unwavering reaction that did not have the least bit of hesitation, there was no way it could be justified or explained away with logic.

A person who could react with the speed of lightning, there was no way he couldn’t have avoided Wayne’s shot.

Once his mind gave birth to this thought it chilled Wayne to the bones.

The wound has been treated, and the medical staff and guards were ordered to leave. Daniel just hung his head slightly, leaning against the lieutenant.

The room was quiet.

Nathan’s gaze turned to Wayne, seemingly hesitating, but in the end he could not spit it out.

“Daniel.”

Wayne heard the sound of his own voice. The dry and raspy quality of it sounded foreign to himself.

He feared the truth, but he couldn’t help stepping towards it one step at a time.

“You could’ve avoided it, right?”

Daniel opened his eyes, but did not immediately look at him. His line of sight was focused on some corner of the room.

Without the usual coldness and indifference, that pair of eyes immediately looked softer. Perhaps the question targeted his deeply held secret, his face showed a slightly troubled expression. The hair that fell onto his forehead made him look even younger than his real age.

Wayne suddenly felt a little breathless.

He couldn’t just stand there and not do anything: to not figure out the concealed truth, to not understand the youth’s hardships and secret troubles, and to not ask after his health.

Then they’ll just part ways again. Until one day, he will receive the news of this guy’s death, this guy who has no concept of his own life. There will be no rumors, no sighs. The death of a traitor, there won’t even be any ripples in the people’s hearts.

Pressing down the emotion in his chest, Wayne walked slowly forward. He held the uninjured shoulder of the other party, and softened his tone.

“Daniel, do you have anything to say to me?”

…This was a big lost.

The misunderstanding level of the protagonist fell all the way below forty. Su Shi lowered his head. His heart hurt so much he didn’t want to talk.

Failure to successfully obtain the protagonist’s misunderstanding means that the world could only be rated as B at the highest. A-level exclusive rewards like [Double the Experience Points] unexpectedly fizzled away just like that.

There were so many people in the country. They all mistook him as the lap dog of the Terence government. Even if the unreasonable system overlord broke their contract, his fifty thousand experience points gained would be more than enough. If he could somehow double that, he could overturn his circumstances in one stroke.

Not every world could offer such a unique and blessed situation. The impoverished* Su Shi’s chest rose up and down quickly. His heart hurt so much that even his arm began to tremble.

[*T/N: Impoverish is in reference to MC’s dearth of experience points, not lack of physical money.]

The person with his head lowered in front of him had a posture of passive resistance. This sparked some long ago memories of Wayne, and warmth quietly seeped into his eyes.

“You are still the same as before. When we were in the academy, you were dragged by us. The teacher asked you, but you refused to sell us out, and you didn’t want to lie to the teacher, you only knew how to lower your head like this and not say anything.”

Wayne’s words suddenly ended. He looked into Daniel’s dark and gloomy eyes. His tone was still calm and peaceful. “I went to see the teacher later on. Daniel… I can’t not say this, no matter if it was the bullet’s trajectory or the head shot, it was the worst shot you’ve ever made.”

Su Shi’s expression immediately fell.

That was on the second day that he came to this world. He had just returned from the hail of gunfire that almost blew him back to the main world. The teacher pulled him into a small dark room like some mad man and stuffed a loaded gun into his hand.

It would’ve been game over for him if he didn’t open fire. That was his true abilities with a gun. He was beaten to the point of tears. Then, trembling with fear, he had closed his eyes and bit down on his lip as he pulled the trigger.

Taking into account the system’s mission, Su Shi was of course willing to go undercover and become a spy within enemy lines, but that shot also left a deep psychological shadow.

So on the second day, he went straight to the Terence government, and left that heartbroken place of despair without turning back.

“The answer I gave myself at that time was that you still have a conscience and a line of virtue.”

Wayne was unaware of the complexities in Su Shi’s heart. He only spoke slowly, with his gaze settled upon a shadow in the corner.

“But, now I want to know, is there another real answer, just that it was overlooked by me…”

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Author Corner

Su Shi: Yes. I can’t aim. (ノ#-_-)ノ

Translator Rambles

Let me just say, the protagonist is suffering from torture wounds at this point, but he still has the presence of mind to be gentle and think about others. My heart… just take it. (ノ>_<)ノ♡

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Chapter 5

“This is not your concern, Wayne.”

Mentioning a pot that doesn’t boil*.

[*T/N: Chinese idiom meaning to touch a sore spot or to poke at someone’s weak point]

Su Shi answered the other party in a light voice. He was a bit sullen, his expression sinking in an instant.

From the start, Su Shi hadn’t wanted to specialize in combat, because he found it too exhausting. So he placed his skill points into other areas of expertise. When he was first flung into this world, he was almost returned right back to the main space due to the artillery barrage that filled the sky.
Translations by www.vmnovels.com
With his current paltry amount of experience points available to him, he couldn’t even afford an elementary combat upgrade package. The system had gifted him with a [Life-Saving Gift Package], which had the effect of increasing his combat prowess in the case of emergencies. Unfortunately, the effects only last three seconds each time. And buffering actually took thirty days.

Matched up against the protagonist’s skills, once those three seconds have passed, he will surely miss the gentle treatment of only being held hostage.

Hearing his reply, Wayne’s pupils shrunk and his eyes revealed a tinge of sadness. Unknowingly, the arm holding Su Shi hostage loosened some more.

“Daniel…”

Su Shi couldn’t help quirking up an eyebrow.

At the same time that Wayne’s voice sounded, there was a sharp alarm warning Su Shi that the protagonist’s life was threatened.

Right now, there was an arm wrapped around his neck and there was still a gun pointed to his head. This hard level task of being able to threaten the protagonist’s life couldn’t possibly be him at the moment.

If it were some other threat…

The door of the medical room was suddenly opened and Su Shi’s pupils shrank. He did not hesitate to activate the three-second special effect and suddenly threw himself into Wayne.

In three seconds, the wrist was turned down and the elbow was folded. The momentum was fast and the action was fierce.

Wayne did not counterattack, nor did he have time to counterattack.

The person whom he just held hostage seemed to trip and stagger forwards a few steps, powerlessly falling atop his body. The arm that knocked him away so forcefully fell down limply. Blood seeped out, dying his line of sight in red.

“Lowry, who told you to shoot?!”

The lieutenant rushed over and caught the tottering marshal in his arms. There was a severe look of coldness in his eyes.

The sharpshooter who charged in through the door looked confused. He looked at the marshal that he’d accidentally injured. He stuttered and tried to explain. “Th- the guards heard voices, said the prisoner had bad intentions… The senior colonel told me to come and rescue the marshal…”

“I wonder when did you stop listening to my orders and decided to arbitrarily act on your own?”

The piercing pain of his wounded shoulder turned his eyes a deep black. Su Shi slowly released a breath. His voice was low and gentle, but Lowry’s face still turned pale as sheet.

“Marshal!”

The senior colonel rushed in and was scared by the situation in front of him. He hurriedly explained, “We were worried for your safety, Marshal…”

“Worried about my safety so you decided to shoot him. Do you people know what his life means?”

The thick, dark cloak masked most of the blood. Su Shi took another deep breath and straightened his body, calmly looking at the subordinates in front of him.

A sharpshooter was no problem, but the senior colonel was Terence’s confidant. He must find a reasonable explanation for his behavior.

Many people in the Terence government were aware of Daniel’s iron fists and superior capabilities. The senior colonel was somewhat panicking. He fearfully took a step forward. “Marshal, you are the jewel of the empire, no matter how important the prisoner is, he is still not worthy of you-”

“Fool.”

Su Shi interrupted him. He lowered his line of sight and said, “Is it because the royal family have given up their power for such a long time that you have forgotten their influence in the country? Have you ever thought that if the second heir to the royal family died in the hands of the government, how many people would step up and rebel?”
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His tone was not too severe, but cold sweat was already beginning to emerge on the senior colonel.

The Canta Empire was under the reign of a tyrant. Although the royal family had no real power, they were still the core of the national belief. In the current situation, if they had killed Wayne, they may have sparked a national uprising.

The Terence government was powerful and awe-inspiring. Any member with even a little bit of status would not put the royal family in their eyes. He was too eager for the honor of meritorious service, but he had forgotten that the situation was no longer as optimistic as before.

Marshal Daniel not only saved the prisoner, but also saved his life.

The look of the senior colonel changed a little. He suddenly stood upright. “Marshal, I was too reckless, please punish me!”

“Go receive penalty yourself ba, whatever amount you feel is right, just tell them directly.”

Su Shi was losing quite a lot of blood, and black spots dotted the edges of his vision. He gave the senior colonel a simple answer, wanting to step out, but found that his legs have long ran out of strength.

“Let’s treat your wound right here right now, Marshal.”

The bullet had gone straight through. In the brief moment of delay before treatment, a lot of blood had already flowed out.

The lieutenant forced the nearly unconscious marshal to sit on the examination table. The medical staff rushed in to tend to the shoulder wound.

The guards wanted to take Wayne away, but Su Shi stopped them. They obeyed and withdrew from the door. Then they separated a distance and faithfully kept watch at the end of the corridor.

After the lesson from last time, Su Shi did not glance at Wayne at all. He only leaned on the lieutenant and closed his eyes quietly.

Wayne looked at him, and his tight fists loosened increment by increment. In the depths of his eyes burned a blaze of fire.

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Chapter 4

“Daniel, do you want to shoot me?”

Wayne whispered softly. His expression calmed down. His tone even held a hint of mild gentleness.

Of course Su Shi didn’t want to pull the trigger.

The occupation of the high-end bureau was very detailed. Su Shi was not a high-level fighting type. He was not familiar with the use of firearms. He didn’t have the confidence that he could shoot a bullet to just graze Wayne’s hair to scare him.

If he misfired, that one bullet would cost him thirty thousand experience points.

He couldn’t afford to pay. Not uh.

The alarm for directly threatening the protagonist’s life sounded in Su Shi’s head, making his mind spin. It’s not like he could say: ‘oh sorry, I pointed the gun at the wrong person.’ He just took the gun away.
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After hesitating for a moment, Wayne suddenly exploded into motion. He snatched the gun from Daniel’s hand, and ruthlessly pulled him in front of him. He pushed the muzzle up against Daniel’s temple.

“Marshal!”

The lieutenant stepped forward and shouted nervously. A murderous aura covered his entire body. His gun was pointed at Wayne’s forehead.

Wayne didn’t move. A faint pain was spreading silently from his chest.

After closing the distance between them, Wayne could clearly feel that Daniel’s breathing was shallow and short, and his stance was too weak, almost like an ordinary person who had never been trained.

But it was impossible for Daniel to not have received training.

Daniel was one of the top graduates from the Imperial Military Academy. He was once at the peak of countless people. Even if Wayne was the opponent, Wayne did not necessarily have complete confidence in his victory.

The only reasonable explanation was that the other person’s body has indeed reached the point where it was unable to cover up the weakness.

Wayne’s gaze grew even deeper as he quietly stared at the other person’s paleness.

Was it because Daniel’s body had been so bad that he was unable to dodge that shot, or was it because he was shot that he became so weak?

No matter which one was the answer neither was what he expected.

He couldn’t continue thinking about it anymore.

It would seem that Daniel now had a considerable say in the government run by Terence. It was not only military operations, but also political maneuvers and the implementation of government orders have gradually relied on the young marshal who was deeply trusted by the president.

If Daniel were indeed a traitor, as long as he was eliminated, at least half of the government operations would be paralyzed. It would be far more effective than scattered assassination attempts on the enemy.

If the other party did indeed have unspeakable difficulties, then even if he continued to investigate further, it would only ruin the other party’s painstaking efforts.
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Whatever the case, now was not the time to explore the truth.

“Yes, I am very disappointed. I was not able to personally avenge teacher and get rid of this glorious imperial marshal…”

It was clearly a disdainful sneer that was no different than usual, with a penetrating coldness that left behind a hidden wound.

The misunderstanding level finally stopped falling, and when he heard those familiar cold words, Su Shi discreetly let out a sigh of relief.

“Put down the gun, Wayne!”

Even if he understood the marshal’s painstaking efforts, protecting the marshal’s life was still his first priority. The lieutenant took another step forward and his tone revealed a faint killing intent.

“Nathan, you first put down the gun.”

This hot potato was getting hotter and hotter. Su Shi had a terrible headache. He knitted his eyebrows and then opened his mouth to speak. He took a deep breath and then held onto Wayne’s wrist. “You want to hold me hostage in order to escape. This is really the dumbest thing I have ever seen you do. Wayne, there is strict security just outside this door. Do you think you can really hold a gun at me and escape beyond ten meters?”

The body that was pulled into his arms was so thin that it was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Although Daniel held his wrist, it was clear that there wasn’t much strength in the grip. He did not make any attempt to break free.

The ice-cold hollow of Daniel’s palm was pressed against his wrist bone. Wayne didn’t know if Daniel was unwilling to exert strength or if he simply wasn’t strong enough. The power behind Daniel’s grip was so light that it made Wayne’s heart feel sour.

The lieutenant turned the muzzle of the gun away from Wayne and stepped back a few steps, but his eyes still threatened with sharp vigilance.

Wayne remained unmoved. The gun in his hand was pressed firmly to Daniel’s temple. His arm was still wrapped tightly around the youth’s neck. “My life in exchange for yours. That’s not too bad, wouldn’t you say?”

Hearing his words, sparks of fire nearly shot out from the lieutenant’s eyes. “Wayne! Marshal, he clearly-”

“Nathan!”

Su Shi shouted for the lieutenant to stop. He finally understood Wayne’s purpose for seizing him. He felt his stomach sinking. “Wayne, what exactly is it that you want to do?”
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Wayne was truly worthy of being the protagonist selected by the plot. It was obvious that the man has been seriously injured and tortured once, but the arm around his neck was still very strong. He almost couldn’t breathe.

“I just want to figure out one thing.”

Seeming to be aware of Su Shi’s discomfort, Wayne lessened the strength in his arm inconspicuously, and whispered into his ear.

Wayne’s warm breath hit the shell of Su Shi’s ear. The chest behind him was strong and wide, and because the arm had relaxed its strength a little, it had moved slightly downward.

If one ignored the gun, it would look like a very scandalous hug.

“Daniel, why did your body deteriorate to this degree?”

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Author’s Corner

Gong: You have changed. You were not so weak before.

Su Shi: Shut up. ＝_＝

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Chapter 3

This kind of warm gaze, it used to not be such a foreign thing.

They graduated from the Imperial Military Academy together and gathered a group of companions from scratch. Gradually they expanded their sphere of influence, and overcame countless obstacles together.

But when the government, which was under Terence’s thumb, took notice of their group and began to suppress and even ruthlessly squashed them, Daniel personally killed a teacher who cultivated them and was absorbed into the government shortly afterwards.

From there, Daniel’s career skyrocketed. He received promotion after promotion, and within five years he became the grand marshal and a person that the president heavily relied on.

Wayne never investigated the reason behind Daniel’s sudden betrayal. A traitor didn’t need a reason for their actions. It was enough just to get rid of them.

In the last battle, he personally sniped Daniel down.

Blood spilled quickly through the lens of his sniper rifle. The thin and wasting body fell to the ground without a sound. The government army, which was originally powerful enough to raze the insurgents to the ground, fell into disarray without their head. He was then able to safely withdraw his men.
Translations by www.vmnovels.com, if you find this anywhere else then it was stolen.
Wayne didn’t even have time to doubt. Based on Daniel’s military quality, how could he not have avoided such a hasty and obvious sniping attempt?

All this time, it seems that he have ignored some very obvious hints…

Suddenly, ambiguous conjectures started forming in his head. Wayne stewed in his thoughts in torturous silence. He almost couldn’t breath.

His fists clenched so tightly that his arms began to tremble, but he couldn’t seem to feel them at all.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Wayne lifted his head. He positioned his body, ready to attack. His eyes flashed with a fierce and murderous light.

After he saw who was coming in, the tension in his body loosened instead.

Daniel’s hand was still on the edge of the door when he lifted his head to look at Wayne. Following behind him was the lieutenant bearing a tray with food for dinner.

Under the bright light, the paleness of that man’s face became much more obvious. His body was hidden beneath a big cloak, concealing its thinness.

Su Shi never had any combat awareness. He also did not feel anything when faced up against the other man’s imposing aura. In a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, he strolled to one side of the room and sat down. The lieutenant placed the dinner tray on the table.

Wayne’s eyes followed the lieutenant’s meticulous actions, and then he looked at the food on the tray, each dish was nutritious and could even be rated as sumptuous. He was silent for a moment before raising his head. “Daniel, do you have nothing to say?”

“I do. Right now I should be interrogating you for information on the insurgent army, but you won’t say anything anyways, so I might as well save my strength.”

This hot potato could not be eaten. It could only be flung far away. He will need to send Wayne back to the insurgent army in two days. Su Shi did not intend to waste any more time on him. He leisurely looked over the medical records on the side and answered Wayne without lifting his head.

Wayne did not anticipate the other side’s response and he stared blankly, stumped for words. His eyes subconsciously fell upon Daniel’s body.

The Daniel in his memories was proud. Proud and dazzling. His dark eyes always shone with a sharp light as if there were no impurities within them.

But the youth in front of him was leaning back with a relaxed air. With his claws retracted, he did not feel threatening at all.

Up until now, Wayne hadn’t realized that he did not understand the other person at all.

Perhaps because of his intense gaze, the originally laidback youth became alarmed. Daniel’s body suddenly tightened. His eyes flashed with turbulent lightning as he looked at Wayne, and his gaze became frigid.

It was a look that pushed the other party away at a distance.

Wayne’s chest roiled, but he did not look away.

Their eyes met without a sound. Su Shi remained taciturn on the surface, but inside his heart was pounding madly.

Just now, he actually received a warning that the protagonist’s misunderstanding value was on the edge of the alarm.
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Wayne was the biggest victim of Daniel’s betrayal, and of course, he was the first to misunderstand him. After Daniel was appointed as marshal, Wayne’s misunderstanding value reached eighty-nine, and Su Shi stopped wasting energy on him.

But just now, the degree of misunderstanding suddenly dropped sharply, and it has almost fallen to the edge of the precarious line.

Although he hasn’t had time to figure out where the misunderstanding points leaked away, he still had to deal with it as soon as possible.

“Daniel, has your injury gotten better?”

An ineffable urge pushed Wayne to open his mouth and speak in a low voice. The hand hanging to the side subconsciously tightened up.

“That’s right. Thank you for reminding me, I almost forgot, I still owe you a bullet…”

After receiving the warning from the system, Su Shi was super alert, putting in a hundred and twenty percent. His gaze turned cold once again. He smirked and held the table to slowly prop himself up. He looked down at Wayne condescendingly.

He twirled the exquisite gun lightly in his hand. Su Shi held Wayne’s shoulder with one hand and leaned in close to his ear. He pressed the muzzle of the gun up against the other man’s brows. “I am still alive. Are you disappointed?”

The gentle and languid youth from before seemed to be just an illusion. Right now the youth was icy cold. The muzzle of the gun pressed against Wayne’s skin. The cold feeling of the metal tied his heart into knots.

This was correct… This was how it was supposed to be.

Those eyes should be indifferent and arrogant. They should hold disdain for his defeated foe. It should be the arrogant ambition of betrayal.

Wayne tried hard to convince himself of this, but his mind couldn’t help lingering on the warmth of that moment.

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Questions:

1. Can someone explain ‘dog blood’ or is it ‘dog blood drama’ to me? Is ‘dog blood’ used as an adjective to describe anything, or does it have to be used in the phrase ‘dog blood drama?’
2. What is ‘dog food’ in the context of Chinese novels?
3. What does ‘chicken blood’ as in ‘injected with chicken blood’ mean?

Happy New Years!

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Chapter 2

Su Shi’s mission in this world was: to suffer in silence, become the dog of the government, and let the insurgent army misunderstand Daniel, believing that he betrayed them for wealth and status.

If the leader of the insurgent army dies while under his command, then the current advantageous war situation could be reversed, and the misunderstanding would become a reality. This would equate to the direct failure of his mission.

Su Shi couldn’t afford to pay the penalty fee of failure. With worry heavy in his heart, his speed became faster and faster. His stomach rolled and his eyes flashed a deep black for a moment.

“Marshal!” The lieutenant whispered and quickly stepped forward to support him. “Marshal, your last injury has yet to fully recover, you can’t force yourself too much.”

“I am not important…”

Su Shi leaned against Nathan and waited for his bout of dizziness to pass. Then he took a deep breath and stood up again.

The interrogation room was just up ahead.

It was a matter of life or death. He must rush inside and save himself from the danger of failing his mission, and prevent the punishment of a penalty fee.

Standing outside the door to the interrogation room, Su Shi’s entire demeanor suddenly changed.

His eyes became cold and indifferent, and the lines of his face turned sharp. The body that was tortured by pain slowly straightened up, and his footsteps became aloof and proud.

The door was pushed open. Hearing the sound, the man inside the cell raised his head and looked at him with a silent gaze.

He only delayed for a moment, but the man’s body was already covered in injuries. There were wounds all over his person. Yet in this difficult situation, his grand aura was still visible.

Su Shi couldn’t help but acknowledge that the royal’s elite education was perfectly reflected in Wayne’s body.

The man’s body was tall and strong, with powerful and graceful muscles. Half of his handsome face was hidden in the shadows. He was obviously trapped in the dark, but within his unfathomable eyes there was still an indomitable light.

Su Shi stopped at the threshold. He let out an inconspicuous sigh of relief.

Fortunately, his experience points were still safe.

Su Shi hid the relief deep within his eyes and turned his gaze cold. He raised his hand and took over the whip from the subordinate. He slowly bent the whip in his grip, and curved the corner of his lips into a cold smile.

“How is the interrogation going? Did he say anything?”

The whip was made of a special alloy and it had a sharp barbed edge. If a person was hit with the full force of this whip and did not receive timely treatment, it was entirely possible to be beaten to death.

Su Shi handed the whip to the lieutenant behind him, and nodded slightly in a discreet manner.

Nathan silently took the whip. He approached the restrained man and brought down the whip. The force was well controlled. On Wayne’s back bloomed a visually impactful wound, but it was not deep enough to hurt the bones and internal organs.

The whip roared with the sound of a sharp wind, and the blood seeped silently from the wound.

Now he only needed to find a chance for Wayne to faint. Using the excuse of wanting to interrogate Wayne for more information, he could have people treat the man’s injuries, and then he’ll inadvertently leak intelligence to the insurgent army and have them come rescue the prisoner.

Then he will throw his hot potato as far away as he could.

“He said nothing, Marshal.”

The subordinate quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “If you will allow, we intend to impose a more cruel torture on him until he gives information that will satisfy you.”

“There is no need for heavier punishment. He is far more important than you think.”

Su Shi arbitrarily waved his hand. In a low voice he said, “We have too many things to dig out from him. If he breaks, it will be troublesome…”

He was still speaking when the chain suddenly sank and Wayne fainted without a word.

……

The timing of the faint was indeed perfect.

He had prepared lines ahead of time, but he didn’t have to use them now. Su Shi clasped his hands behind his back and turned around. The lieutenant understood intuitively. He circled around Wayne once, checking over his injuries. Then he stepped forward and broke the silence at the right time.

“Marshal, he seems to have a very serious old injury. If you want to continue to torture him for information, I am afraid that I will have to administer some treatment first.”

Although it was clear that the lieutenant was telling the truth, the subordinate was unwilling. After all, a meritorious deed was right in front of his face, waiting for him to claim. “Marshal! Actually, we can inject him with a wakening agent. The medicine’s effectiveness can last for three days-”

“Better to give him treatment first. He is still a highness after all. You still have to give the royal family some face.”

Su Shi said lightly. At the sound of the cold voice, the subordinate was instinctively unable to speak. He quickly looked for someone to send Wayne to the medical room.

The injury on the body was real and the fainting was also true. Wayne was pushed to the medical room and his old wounds finally received consummate treatment.

Temporarily got rid of the cold cell and the cruel torture. The contrasting warmth made him faintly relaxed.

Quietly lying on the examination table, Wayne recalled the hurried glimpse he got of those eyes.

That perfect pair of eyes were arrogant and cold, but at the moment when Daniel just stepped onto the threshold, there was a flash of something in those eyes that Wayne couldn’t avoid taking notice of.

There was something very close to relief, could even be called gratified… it was some kind of warmth.

His chest felt faintly hot.

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Translator Rambles

Hey there! Just letting you know that I am also translating The Big Landlord. It’s a Chinese BL transmigration story set in historical China, and also my main project at the moment, thus more frequently updated. Go ahead and take a peek at it while you’re waiting for updates on this story.

Also, I noticed that it takes me much longer to translate LMStB than it does for me to translate TBL. I feel like this author has more flowery prose, so it takes a lot more head scratching to puzzle out the meaning. (TAT) But I read the first two arcs of this story and I love how the ML dotes on the MC, so I would like to persist in translating this story, even though it takes more time.

Standard Info: Abbreviation for “Let Me Shoulder this Blame!” is LMSTB. Go here for the updating schedule. Go to the title page for info on the story and the table of contents.

T/N: Chapters are split into parts. For an extended explanation, go to the FAQs.

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Chapter 1

The night was deep, but the lights within the Imperial Marshal’s office were still lit and occasionally one or two low coughs could be heard.
Translations by www.vmnovels.com, if you find this anywhere else, it was stolen
The coughs were smothered to the point that the sound would dissipate into the cold moonlit air if one did not pay attention to it.

The door creaked opened and the lieutenant came inside carrying a cup of hot cocoa. He carefully placed the cup on the table for fear of disturbing the marshal who was working at the desk.

If one does not see it with their own eyes, perhaps most people wouldn’t believe that the rumored callous and haughty marshal of the Canta Empire would be so young.

And also so thin and weak.

“Marshal Daniel, according to your orders, the arrested insurgent generals has been locked in cell 149.”

The lieutenant hesitated for a while. Then he mustered up the courage to step forward and leaned in towards the marshal to whisper a sentence.

Hearing the sound of his approaching lieutenant, the marshal raised his head and the warm yellow light of the desk lamp fell upon his face.

As the marshal of the Imperial Empire, his facial contours were obviously too delicate and soft. If it weren’t for the dark eyes that flashed brilliantly, he could almost be regarded as a gentle and harmless youth.

“Understood, Nathan.”

Daniel paused as if thinking of something else. After a moment of silence he nodded to himself. Then he took out an exquisitely carved box from the drawer and handed it to Nathan. “Secretly put this into their dinner. Don’t let others find out.”

The lieutenant’s breath caught and his eyes suddenly turned red. He eagerly stepped forward, “Marshal, this is something that the president specially gifted to you, said it’s for you to nourish your body-”

“Nathan, you should also understand that right now it better to let someone else have it than to waste it on me.”

Daniel looked at him and suddenly smiled faintly. His tone was calm and gentle. It was completely different from the one that he used in public. “Let’s talk about the interrogation matter. I trust your torture skills. What did they say?”

His smile was very mild. It spoke of a deep exhaustion. If you look closely, it was not difficult to find that his face seemed particularly pale.

The lieutenant bowed his head awkwardly. His face revealed conflicting emotions. After a long while, he finally opened his mouth, “They… they don’t know about your painstaking efforts, Marshal…”

“Look at your reaction. I bet they didn’t say a single good thing about me, this traitor.” Daniel chuckled. There was relief in his eyes. He sat up straighter, “This is good. I was worried that there might be a couple of stubborn ones in there. It seems that I underestimated them…”

He had yet to finish speaking when the ringing sound of an emergency report sounded from the table.

The two men looked at each other, their expressions both changing at the same time. Daniel raised his hand and pressed down on a button. An excited voice floated up to them.

“Marshal, finally someone couldn’t bear it! Originally we thought that we only caught a few ordinary senior generals, we didn’t expect that their leader Wayne would be hiding his identity among them. We have already identified him!”

“…Well done, I will go over immediately.”

Daniel gave a word of praise, and then he released the button with a sigh. At first he was alarmed then nervous, but in the next blink of the eye he restrained his emotions. Then he shook his head with a bitter smile. “Next time, if I’m about to say something inappropriate, remember to stop me, Nathan.”

“Marshal, you want to go personally to protect His Royal Highness Wayne?”

Seeing him trying to stand up while supporting his body, the lieutenant took an anxious step forward and raised his hand to hold on to the marshal’s arm. “It’s not easy for you to come to this step (in your plans). If you want to save His Royal Highness Wayne, it may ruin all your carefully laid out plans-”

“Besides him, anyone can be sacrificed. Of course, this includes me. Nathan, you must keep this in mind.”

Daniel interrupted his words in a weak voice. Then he had Nathan help him don his cloak. His gun was strapped to the side of his body. Together they rushed to the interrogation room.

There must not be any mishap with Wayne. Not only was it to ensure the success of the rebellion, it was also for the sake of his world mission.

The current year of this world was 3497 and President Terence was brutal to the extreme. On the one hand, the royal family that had already handed over their political power was forced into a corner with nowhere to run. On the other hand, the people were also subjected to a special style of ruling, which was bloody and repressive. The whole country complained, hoping that the royal family could stand up again and overthrow the regime of Terence.

Wayne was the protagonist that everyone pinned their hopes on.

As for him, his real name was not Daniel, nor was he some imperial marshal.

His name was Su Shi, and he used to be a platinum-level host with the highest survival rate. He specialized in shifting the blame onto others and attacking his enemies from the shadows. He was one step away from the king player, but unexpectedly his deeds were reported and he was denounced in a very grandiose manner.

Su Shi, who had all of his experience points frozen, was banished. He was also forced to bind with an Automatic Blame Shouldering System. Now he had to return to the lower-level worlds, and re-experience the unfortunate feeling of shouldering a blame that was not his and being unjustly accused by others.

Even worse, not only did he have to take any blame that came his way, but he must also shoulder it in a reasonable and movingly tragic way. And the best result was to have a tear-jerking life and death parting at a suitable time. If he could successfully carry the blame till death, then he could get an extra five thousand experience points as a reward.

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Other Chinese BL translation projects by Vanilla Muse:
The Big Landlord (Transmigration, Historical)
Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil: Xue Zi Xuan’s Side Story (Quick Transmigration)
Didn’t Love You Enough (Rebirth, Historical)
Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending! (Transmigration, Modern)
This Alpha’s Pheromones Are Exploding (Transmigration, Modern, Showbiz)
After Rebirth the Tragic Omega Wins Without Lifting a Finger (Rebirth, Sci-Fi)

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Translator Rambles

The protagonist’s name looks like sushi. 🍣 But just for clarification, his name is 苏时. Su 苏 is a Chinese surname, and shi 时 means “time.” Sushi, the food, in Chinese is actually written as 寿司 shou si, completely different characters and pinyin. But if I were his gong/seme I would still eat him either way. 😏

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