When the old military doctor was brought into camp, he saw a very slender young man lying on the bed. The man’s hair was tied back casually, and there was blood residue at the tips. The white strips of fabric on him were soaked through. A cold gust of wind blew in as the door curtain opened, lightly stirring a few strands of black hair. With snowy skin and dark hair, he didn’t look like a soldier at all.

“What’s going on?” The old military doctor asked doubtfully.

“We encountered a kidnapping incident when we went up the mountain. This is the hostage.”

“Why does he look familiar?”

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s Liu Xiaozhu of the Liu family.”

“That rich little young master?”

“That’s him. Considering his usual appearance, it’s no wonder that he got kidnapped. It seems he was robbed by the thieves.”

“Huh, it’s rare to see him dressed so dully.”

As Liu Zhenqing lay there, the corner of his mouth that no one could see twitched. He thought to himself, can you two stop pointing out flaws? Can you give me some useful information? Apart from knowing his current identity as Liu Xiaozhu, and that he usually liked to wear gold and silver to show off in the city, he still didn’t know the key points.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know when he had developed the habit, but no matter how serious his injury was, it was difficult for him to fall into a long-term coma. He had woken up as soon as the military doctor arrived. He wanted to gain some useful information, but the result was only complaints.

“Only, General Huo will probably have a headache if he finds him here.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart skipped a beat. The Huo family had produced generals for generations, both men and women. Which general was this?

“Our general won’t care. I haven’t seen the general have any mood swings toward anyone. But we should quickly treat the wound and send him back to the Liu family in order to avoid trouble. Our task here is not yet completed.”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he made the judgment that no matter what, the relationship between Liu Xiaozhu and their General Huo should not be good. But it wasn’t to the point of wanting him dead, so he still came to his rescue.

After explaining the matter, the one with the soldier’s voice departed, leaving the old military doctor to treat the wounds.

In this situation, Liu Zhenqing naturally couldn’t continue to pretend to be asleep. He could only feign that he had just woken up, and appear as if his head hurt.

The old military doctor said, “Young Master Liu, don’t move. The wound is quite serious, let me take care of it.”

“I’ve troubled you.” Liu Zhenqing raised his head to take a look. The sixty-year-old military doctor was in good spirits. He looked familiar, but Liu Zhenqing couldn’t remember him for the moment. He said: “What is this old gentleman called?”

“My surname is Tang.”

The unhesitating answer proved that this body did not know Doctor Tang, but the old man knew him. In this case, he must be well-known far and wide.

He said by the way: “I seem to have pain in several places on my body.”

He was being treated anyway, so Liu Zhenqing would do his best to make use of it. Although he could treat himself with his medical skills, he was mentally and physically tired, and it was more comfortable to lie down and not move.

Doctor Tang did not feel awkward, and dutifully helped him deal with all the wounds on his body. In the end, he pressed his wrist with a frown, seeming hesitant.

“Doctor Tang, what is it? Is something the matter?”

“Young Master Liu, you have been poisoned, and for a long time. It…..should not have been by the people who kidnapped you. This……”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged. “Can it be treated?”

Doctor Tang said: “Young Master, don’t worry. I will give you a prescription that will let it fade away slowly. It isn’t difficult. It’s just that in the future……don’t let yourself be poisoned again. If you are unsure, test everything you put in your mouth with a silver needle.”

“What would this poison do in the end?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“When it accumulates to a certain extent, a man’s vitality will go out like an oil lamp going dry, leading to weakness and death,” Doctor Tang said with a worried look on his face.

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing was silent, Doctor Tang sighed, feeling that although this young and worldly man was a little aimless and leisurely, he still had quite a shock when facing this sort of matter. After all, this was most likely done by someone close to him. Sure enough, there was evil inside the big family, but he could only point it out.

While Doctor Tang was turning around to write the prescription, Liu Zhenqing reached out to feel his pulse and determine if what the man said was true. Then he darted his eyes……

After writing the prescription, Doctor Tang was about to speak a few words of comfort when he saw Liu Zhenqing suddenly raise his head and say with an innocent expression: “Then, my current amnesia is related to this poison?”

Doctor Tang was so surprised that his white beard stood up. He quickly waved his hand and said that it had nothing to do with the poison, then reexamined Liu Zhenqing at once. He could only speculate that it was caused by the serious head injury.

“The young master truly doesn’t remember anything?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

When encountering such a situation, Doctor Tang was worried, ah, and could only keep inquiring and examining.

This gave Liu Zhenqing the best chance to understand the current situation, but the answer to each question just made his heart feel colder.

This was a mountain near the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was the eldest grandson of the Imperial merchant Liu family, and should be a distant relative of the original Liu family. No wonder the faces were somewhat similar. It was not an illusion, but an actual relationship.

It was now the thirteenth year since the new emperor, Yuan Jue, succeeded the throne, which was about eight years since Liu Zhenqing’s death.

Yuan Jue was still serving as the emperor.

Then the current leader of the Huo family army should be……the second eldest son of the Huo family, Huo Fenglie!

If he was still alive.

Doctor Tang didn’t mention his general, and Liu Zhenqing was too guilty to bring it up. If he was dead, then in the end, Liu Zhenqing was the one who had harmed him. If he was alive, then he must hate him.

Liu Zhenqing could guess why this doctor looked familiar. He used to go to the military camp with Huo-dage, and he had a good memory. After many years, even if he met someone once, he would have somewhat of an impression of them. Generally, the people who worked as military doctors in the Huo army would stay for many years, and he should have met the other party in the military camp.

The more Liu Zhenqing thought about the past, the more unwilling he became. Why was he made to time travel again, and even to a time when they were all acquaintances? He really just wanted to be reincarnated without any distractions!

He couldn’t really tell what he felt, but in any case, he was pretty tired.

Doctor Tang’s inquiries were fruitless, and he could only say: “This doctor has little talent and little knowledge. When you return to Liu Manor, Young Master Liu’s family will definitely invite the best doctors to treat him.”

Just as he was talking, someone opened the curtain and entered. The second he spoke, it was clear that he was the person who had just left.

“Young Master Liu is awake? Just in time, someone from the Liu family is looking for him outside. If he can move, I will send Young Master Liu off at once.” This man was young, with a standard martial figure, but his features were a little immature and he couldn’t hide his impatience. There was some innocent arrogance on his face, and he obviously felt that Liu Zhenqing was delaying things here.

“I don’t know…..” Liu Zhenqing also wanted to leave, but there was something he had to ask clearly.

He was about to ask about the ruffians, and had only opened his mouth when the other person habitually answered first, “Our general isn’t here!”

“…….” Who wants to ask about your general ?! I’m also afraid of meeting your general, who knows who it could be, ah! It could be said that at this point, he was afraid to meet any acquaintances. Although the other party couldn’t recognize him, it was better to just disappear without seeing them.

Before Liu Zhenqing could speak, Doctor Tang said dutifully: “Mo Qi, Young Master Liu probably doesn’t want to ask about this. He is in a bad situation now and cannot be left to someone he doesn’t trust. Are you sure the visitors are safe?”

“What’s wrong?” Mo Qi put away his impatience and asked in confusion.

Doctor Tang explained it to him.

Mo Qi looked at Liu Zhenqing in shock, as if he had suddenly realized something. No wonder this fellow hadn’t bothered to ask questions as soon as he came in.

And Liu Zhenqing saw that Mo Qi’s expression when he looked at him was full of wonder. Then he asked: “Amnesia? Then you don’t know me either?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head apologetically. He really didn’t know him. When he was still alive, this young guy was still a teenager. And he spoke with a bit of a northern accent, so he probably wasn’t a local.

Mo Qi sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes immediately widened. He said excitedly: “Then our general……”

Liu Zhenqing paused.

He heard a name that came as no surprise.

“Huo Fenglie! Huo Zhanyuan!”^[1]

The courtesy name ‘Zhanyuan’ was given to him by Huo-dage on the battlefield, but after he died, Huo Fenglie wasn’t old enough to use it.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart relaxed, and he looked at Mo Qi blankly without even blinking his eyes.

At this time, Mo Qi was not only astonished, but also revealed the suppressed expression of, “Can there be such a good thing?”

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt that everyone in the Huo army had a strange reaction toward this body. Why did he feel that it wasn’t just because of that ‘treacherous minister who once harmed the Huo family army?’

Mo Qi was quick to say resolutely: “I have seen the visitors. They are the steward of Liu Manor and Young Master Liu’s personal servant. It is said that Liu Manor paid the ransom but could not wait for the other party to release him, so they quickly led officers and soldiers to hunt them down.”

Mo Qi wanted to make a complaint. He felt that the Liu family was unreliable and could not save the hostage in such a way. It was the stupidest thing to do.

Liu Zhenqing naturally understood how stupid this approach was. He didn’t know if the Liu family was really that stupid, or if they didn’t want to save their eldest grandson at all. “What about those two ruffians?”

“One was shot and killed, and the other was captured alive by the soldiers present. But they didn’t get anything out of him during interrogation. They didn’t know who their employer was, and were just paid to do things,” Mo Qi said.

“Many thanks.” Liu Zhenqing didn’t bother to ask further questions. They were sure to be caught, and he was safe for the time being. Instead, he said in addition: “I was poisoned and lost my memory. Sorry for troubling you, but can you……”

Doctor Tang: Keep it a secret? You’re afraid of a family scandal, so you’ll secretly detoxify yourself? Making noise about it is no good?

Mo Qi: Keep it a secret? The enemy is overt, so you’ll strategize in secret, lest the other party find another way to harm you after being defeated, and dig out the murderer at the same time?

“Make it known in a major way. At the very least, have a serious talk about it later in front of the officials and the Liu family,” Liu Zhenqing said calmly.

Doctor Tang: “Uh…..all right.”

Mo Qi: Sure enough, he doesn’t have a brain.

Liu Zhenqing gave a faint smile.

Waking up and turning the tide was what the standard time traveler would do. He was too tired in his previous life, and now he just wanted to take it easy. What revenge and finding the murderer? Forget it, ba.

Although Liu Zhenqing still cherished his life, now he just wanted to find a chance to rid himself of everything. If the heavens wouldn’t give him a chance at a complete rebirth, he would create one for himself. After everything was stable, he would find an opportunity to change his identity and remain anonymous, stay away from the capital, and be a wealthy salted fish. The money for a wife on the mountain could not be buried in vain.

With such publicity, those who wanted to harm him would definitely not take action in the short term. He would give himself time to breathe, and when the time came, he would take his leave.

Liu Zhenqing thought this was very good, and with the methods he had honed over the years, this small thing would be easy to handle. Doctor Tang and Mo Qi clearly wanted to insinuate a warning to him, but in the end, this damnable thing couldn’t be persuaded.

Damnable thing Liu Zhenqing glanced at them and couldn’t help but find it amusing. The people of the Huo army were as upright as ever. But it was also a bit strange. It seemed that the Huo army didn’t express much anger toward the “Liu family.”

After he went out, he ignored the soldiers in the camp who were looking at him strangely, and saw a team of dozens of people in front of the military camp entrance. They included officers and soldiers, as well as members of the Liu family.

The two people standing in front were so anxious that their eyes were red. When the old and young men saw Liu Zhenqing, they rushed over, but were stopped by the guards at the entrance.

“First Young Master!”

“Master!”

Liu Zhenqing walked over and was tugged at and fussed over by the two of them. The looks on their faces were quite genuine.

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing had no reaction, they thought that he was seriously injured and in a daze. However, when they heard what Doctor Tang and Mo Qi had to say, they suddenly burst into tears.

“Damn it, who did this! Who actually hurt our First Young Master like this!”

“Master, my master, why don’t you even remember Jin Li?^[2] I have served you since childhood!”

The two of them were aghast, angry, and grieved, full of emotion at the revelation of such shocking news. People would at least give their most instinctive reaction at first before covering it up a bit, but these two did not. Liu Zhenqing didn’t have time to observe the servants behind them. At least these two were worthy of belief and truly cared about the original owner.

Jin Li pressed toward Liu Zhenqing to ask questions, and the steward quickly thanked Mo Qi.

Mo Qi waved his hand, hoping that this large group of people would leave quickly and not delay things.

Just as everyone was encircling Li Zhenqing to board the carriage, people galloped over on warhorses. Liu Zhenqing knew something of the structure of the Huo family army. It looked like an urgent message was being sent.

From a distance, he could only hear “capture the enemy, “ruined the plan,” “escaped to the depths,” and “lost the trace.”

Mo Qi’s expression turned ugly.

Liu Zhenqing could probably understand what was going on.

It likely had something to do with him asking them to catch the ruffians.

Mo Qi sullenly arranged for support.

Then he heard Liu Zhenqing’s voice not far away: “Lieutenant General Mo, can you come over here? I have something to say.”

Mo Qi revealed his impatience once more. Although the victim could not be blamed for this matter, it was impossible to indulge him in such a situation. They must also split up in order not to cause delays. However, the failure of the mission was still depressing. Those they wanted to capture were spies who were harmful to Great Zhou, not petty thieves.

Everyone was leaving at this moment, and there were still various demands. This was indeed a troublesome person.

With a livid face, Mo Qi finished arrangements and instructed everyone to mount their horses and prepare to set off. He quickly went to the carriage, about to refuse all of Liu Zhenqing’s unreasonable requests.

Only, the man turned his head to look at the distant mountain and said: “The wind on the mountain is blowing southeast, and the mountain is high in the southeast but low in the northwest, sloping downward in a semi-encircling manner. The place we came down should be in the southeast. To catch the people hiding there, has the lieutenant general considered burning the mountain?”

Mo Qi’s heart trembled, and he suddenly raised his head to look at Liu Zhenqing standing on the carriage.

Liu Zhenqing ducked his head and lowered his eyes, smiling leisurely. He was wrapped in a fox fur cloak that had just been put on him by a servant. The white fur made his injury look even more morbid, but there was a sort of imposing manner that made people hold their breath.

Mo Qi couldn’t describe it for a moment. It felt like facing a general, someone who was born to be superior……it put awe in one’s heart.

“Burn the mountain?” Mo Qi was momentarily overwhelmed by Liu Zhenqing’s sudden concern for serious business.

“Of course, don’t actually burn the whole thing.” Although there was no such thing as being thrown in prison for setting fire to a mountain in this era, it still needed to be said. “Just use the flammable dead leaves on the mountain and use a few tricks to make the smoke thicker. You should know how to do this. Follow the direction of the mountain wind and create some momentum, and you can naturally create the illusion that the mountain is burning. Leave an exit in the northwest corner and just wait and see.”

Mo Qi was dumbfounded. What kind of grand plan was this? No, what kind of deception was this, ah? It was ruthless and cunning.

“That…..will they throw themselves into the trap?”

“When the smoke billows and all the animals on the mountain flee to one place, they will also panic and choose their own way. Unless they are willing to die for their cause, with such a large movement, they are most likely to think that you are burning the mountain behind to force them to death, and can only run away as desperately as possible. After all, an aggressive move on our territory would seem very reasonable to the enemy. If they can’t hide, they at least won’t run toward a place where there is fire. Then the next step is to catch the turtle in an urn. They can give it a try or wait to die. As long as they have brains in their heads, they will make this choice.”

Mo Qi was truly speechless, and didn’t even react when his subordinate called him from behind.

Liu Zhenqing gathered up his robes. His body was thin, and he was still cold. He exhaled a white breath and said: “This is the only way I can make up for the losses I’ve caused you. If it works, I won’t owe you any life-saving grace. The mountains and weather are suitable, so go quickly.”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing got into the carriage. The Huo army was excellent at traditional warfare between two forces, and no matter what, it would be a battle involving more than a hundred people. But encircling and capturing people in a mountainous and forested area was not suitable for their kind of large-scale warfare. A small trick to deceive people was enough.

Mo Qi was so overcome by this method that he forgot to speak for a while, until he was pulled onto his horse by his subordinates who had come to help him. 

When they met up with Mo Yu, he was the first to dismount. The two were brothers, as well as lieutenants of the Huo army. When they got together, Mo Yu was astonished that Liu Zhenqing had come up with such a method, and after some discussion, they decided to use it.

Mo Qi, who was guarding the northwest with his men, was uneasy and somewhat doubtful of the feasibility of this method. However, when he saw a group of animals running over in terror, Mo Qi immediately alerted his troops, and sure enough, they saw ten people appear soon after.

The number of people traveling on this mission was not high, but there were enough to handle this. The task was efficiently completed, and the people were all taken down.

But at this moment, a sharp shriek pierced the air, and a dark shadow shot out of the trees and straight into the sky. 

Mo Qi felt that something was wrong after looking closely, so he promptly took a bow and arrow out from behind him, nocked an arrow, and shot.

That was a falcon, which was extremely fast and was not a bird that would appear in this area. It was obviously brought by the other party. They must have known that they couldn’t escape, and intended to take a gamble on the falcon to convey the news. It must not be allowed to get away.

But the distance was too far. Mo Qi’s arrow couldn’t hit the falcon, and the arrows of others couldn’t make up for it. Everyone was anxious at this time.

The distinctive sound of a horse braying approached in the distance. The war horses under the soldiers immediately paced, taking two steps back and to the side, as if to give up their positions.

In an instant, everyone’s spirits soared, and Mo Qi was even happier. Just as he was about to turn around, he felt a strong wind approach. 

As a figure flashed in front of him, he felt someone step on his shoulder. When he returned to his senses, that person had already taken the bow and arrow in his hands.

When he raised his head again, a tall, sharp figure had jumped up high, practically hanging in the air with a stern and austere aura. The full arc of the bow conveyed the huge power of his straightened arm, and with one mid-air shot, the arrow soared into the sky!

The whoosh was accompanied by a brief cry as the prey was shot and fell.

“The general is mighty!” Everyone immediately gave a loud cheer, endlessly excited.

The captured people were all stunned, craning their necks to look at the man and curse: “Huo Fenglie! Sooner or later, you will die at the hands of my king!”

The figure in the air fell, and there was already a tall war horse as dark as night standing below him. Looking at his stature, he was strong and tall, and had a good figure that could only be achieved through long-term horseback riding. With civil and military sleeves, black armor, and dark red robes, he was as chilling as ice.

Huo Fenglie waved his hand to signal others to find the prey, and looked at the captured people.

He was handsome. The kind of handsome that was like a sword in its sheath, dangerous and sharp, but with restraint. He had a majestic presence without being angry, but his aura was overwhelming, and his every move was filled with the chill of the cold wind.

Those people wanted to curse him again, but heard Huo Fenglie say: “Knock them all unconscious.”

Following this order, the soldiers neatly knocked out the prisoners to prevent them from committing suicide. The shot falcon was soon recovered, and the mission was completed perfectly.

“Set fire to the mountain?” Huo Fenglie listened to Mo Qi’s report and looked at the thick smoke that was gradually dissipating in the distance.

Mo Qi quickly explained. He thought Huo Fenglie would be impressed, but didn’t expect the other party’s completely unsurprised expression. He had clearly figured out the theory when this method was mentioned. As expected of the great general who could command the three armies at the age of twenty-six. He was truly clever. Wait, wasn’t this the same as admitting that that other fellow was truly clever? Mo Qi accepted it. After all, the impression that fellow left on him was very bad, but he had to be grateful.

“Did you come up with it?” Huo Fenglie glanced over. Although it was a question, his low tone seemed to already contain the answer. 

Mo Qi was crushed. His boss knew him so well that it was impossible for him to show off. Naturally, he would not be greedy for credit. For once, he spoke up for Liu Zhenqing and made him look good  in front of the general.

Incidentally, he mentioned the kidnapping, poisoning, and amnesia.

But unsurprisingly, their general didn’t react at all to this bold person who had been harassing him for a long time. He just answered: “The report should be written accurately.”

This meant credit should be given to those who deserved it.

But if not for his amnesia, he probably wouldn’t want credit at all, and would just want the general to look at him.

But that fellow had no discernment. Because of his ancestral connections, anyone in the know understood that there really was no chance. After all, their general hated that treacherous minister. If the current Liu family hadn’t made great contributions, they wouldn’t have been treated so leniently.

In terms of seniority, Liu Xiaozhu and that treacherous minister could be regarded as distant brothers.

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[1] Huo Fenglie’s courtesy name, Zhanyuan (战渊), can be translated as War Abyss. Badass. ⮐

[2] Jin Li (锦鲤) means Koi fish. ⮐

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Chapter One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Three