Everyone watched this scene in horror. The guards were so stimulated by this ferocious situation that they drew their swords, and at that same moment, they suddenly heard the imposing sound of uniform steps. In the blink of an eye, dozens of saber-wielding soldiers poured in through a passage. It was General Huo’s personal guard.

The people leading the team were naturally the two brothers Mo Yu and Mo Qi.

“Protect General Huo! Any aggressors will be killed without mercy!”

Their imposing manner drawn from the battlefield intimidated everyone. Those guards didn’t dare to do anything to General Huo. It had just been an instinctive reaction. At this moment, their instincts were forced back, and they could only quickly put away their swords.

“Huo Fenglie, what do you mean by this? Do you intend to besiege my Princess’s Palace after beating someone?” The First Princess was already furious.

There was a flash of dark red in Huo Fenglie’s eyes, causing the First Princess to hold her breath for a moment as they looked at each other, and she felt that Huo Fenglie was more dangerous than before.

“It was nothing but a punishment for Young Master Rong’s bad mouth,” Bai Su explained. “And the soldiers of the Huo family army are doing their duty to ensure the General’s safety. As long as the guards retreat, they will back down as well.”

The First Princess’s face was frozen in anger, but seeing the fierce-looking Huo family soldiers before her, as well as Huo Fenglie, who looked like a murderous god, she could only grit her teeth and wave the guards back.

As soon as they retreated, the Huo family soldiers naturally stepped back to stand behind Huo Fenglie as solemnly as statues, perpetually protecting their general.

Things had progressed to this point, and the spring outing banquet could no longer continue. The First Princess sent all the guests away on account of poor hospitality.

Everyone said goodbye one after another, but didn’t dare to leave. They wanted to wait for Huo Fenglie to leave first before they made any movements.

Naturally, the Huo family soldiers surrounding Huo Fenglie waited for their orders.

Finally, Mo Yu led the team and left with Huo Fenglie, encircling him tightly as if to prevent outsiders from peeking at him. Seeing this, Bai Su did not follow him, but departed with Liu Zhenqing.

However, when they were about to go out, they found Mo Qi waiting for them at the door.

“Young Master Bai, Young Master Liu…..”

There were three Young Master Liu’s here, and the other two didn’t dare to come forward to communicate with the Huo family soldier. Seeing that the lieutenant general had something to say, they quickly gave their thanks for General Huo’s help and slipped back into the carriage to wait.

Bai Su stepped forward in inquired: “How is Zhanyuan?” His mood fluctuated so much that his body must be…..

“The general is fine. He is resting in the carriage, and sent this subordinate to deliver a message to Young Master Liu.” As Mo Qi spoke, he looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing’s thoughts were hazy. From Huo Fenglie’s fury just now to the two people discussing Huo Fenglie’s situation in front of him, he could only think of one thing. Er-gou harbored hatred, and from how he was stimulated by others, it was not small.

Did he really hate him so much that after eight years, it hadn’t dissipated at all?

The sentiment on Liu Zhenqing’s face likely caused Bai Su to misunderstand, and he said with a sigh, “Young Master Liu, do you still remember what I said before? This has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry. This time it was Rong Shiming who was so bad-mouthed that he even talked nonsense about Huo-dage and Sister-in-law Huo, and even brought up Huo-dage’s death. He was simply seeking death!”

“What! How dare that stinkbird^[1] mention this to the general? Sure enough, I shouldn’t have let Mo Yu stop me. If I’d known, I would have added a few more blows to directly cripple him!”

Mo Qi’s character was not very rigid, and at this moment, he wanted to fight back with his fists.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t speak, and also didn’t dare look them in the eyes. He was speechless and could only……escape.

“I caused trouble for General Huo today, so I will not bother him anymore. I ask that Lieutenant General Mo convey my apology and gratitude to him.” Liu Zhenqing bowed and saluted.

Mo Qi had already changed his opinion of Liu Zhenqing after his kidnapping last time, and said quickly: “I understand. By the way, the general asked me to tell you that you will be sent out of the city tomorrow. The general has left this matter to me. What are Young Master Liu’s specific arrangements?”

“I intend to leave as soon as the city gates open tomorrow, so the Liu family carriage will be waiting at the east city gate at maoshi to be led by Lieutenant General Mo. Is this feasible?” Liu Zhenqing seemed to be in a rush, and couldn’t help but speak faster.

Mo Qi nodded and said: “It’s feasible.”

Liu Zhenqing saluted and thanked him again, then turned around to thank Bai Su once more before turning around to leave.

But Bai Su suddenly remembered something and stopped Liu Zhenqing to say: “By the way, is Young Master Liu interested in solving mechanism boxes?”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback and didn’t know why he had suddenly asked this. “I’m decent at it.”

Bai Su immediately smiled and said: “Although there were many conflicts today, when I watched Young Master Liu compete in the Thousand Locks, I realized that he is not a simple man. At that time, I made a bet with General Huo that if you could beat Rong Shiming, I would ask you to do him a favor and try to unlock a mechanism box.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t react when these words came out, but Mo Qi was shocked. He said: “Young Master Bai, you……”

“Don’t worry, the general knows. It wasn’t a secret to begin with. I saw that Young Master Liu is leaving tomorrow and was afraid to miss this opportunity, just in case Young Master Liu is able to do it,” Bai Su said with a smile.

Liu Zhenqing really didn’t know what they were talking about, and wore a look of confusion.

In fact, this matter was truly not a secret. There were various rumors about it in the market, but the one in front of them had “amnesia,” so of course he didn’t know.

Bai Su explained: “Six years ago, General Huo was seriously injured on the battlefield. His sister-in-law was not around at that time, and no one could save him. At the critical moment, a white-haired but youthful-looking foreign master appeared and used special methods to preserve General Huo’s life until Sister-in-law Huo arrived.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart clenched upon hearing this. Although he had long suspected that without him and Huo Feihan protecting him, Er-gou would have to have gone through many crises before becoming a war god, he still felt upset after hearing this.

“The foreign master did not leave his name, but only left a brocade box to General Huo, saying that there was something hidden inside. Some say it is a treasure, some say it is a martial arts book, and some say it is a panacea, but in any case, it’s a good thing……Nobody knows what he said to General Huo. It is only known that after this, General Huo searched all over the place for people who knew the art of mechanisms or were interested in this kind of brocade box, but none of them could solve it. Over the past six years, the box gradually turned into a rumor. Up to now, General Huo is still searching for someone to solve his puzzle.”

Liu Zhenqing said in a daze: “…..No offense meant, but it should be meant to fool people, ba.”

The ancients liked to pretend to be mysterious. For some purpose, they made themselves out to be like gods and ghosts, so as to highlight their uniqueness. Games like the Thousand Locks were popular in Great Zhou, so there were naturally many people of this kind. If none of them could solve it, it could only be said that there was no solution at all.

Bai Su smiled and said: “Actually, I have also studied it, and I also feel that it must be a trick. The mechanisms inside the brocade box follow no rules at all.”

Mo Qi, who had been listening, could only nod. “Isn’t that right? All the capable people I contacted felt that the general had been deceived. I saw that old man and felt that his behavior was very strange. When he gave it to the general, he also said that when the time comes, the brocade box will be opened naturally, so the general didn’t have to be anxious and should just wait patiently. It felt really unreliable, but he did save the general, so the general seemed to believe him.”

Bai Su continued: “In short, I feel that you are rather good at such things, so I would like you to give it a try. How about taking a trip to the General’s Manor?”

Liu Zhenqing was unwilling to come into contact with the Huo family again. “Young Master Bai thinks highly of me, but I’m only a little good at it. So many capable people were unable to do it, so why should I give it a try?”

“It won’t hurt to try,” Bai Su said good-temperedly.

Liu Zhenqing knew that he couldn’t refuse openly, so he asked in detail about what kind of mechanism box it was.

When he heard that the complicated mechanism had ten turns in a row, he immediately frowned and said that he wasn’t at that level at all, so it was best to forget it.

With him having said this, Bai Su didn’t push him. With a rather regretful expression, he could only bid farewell to Liu Zhenqing.

When he sat in the carriage, Liu Zhenqing’s heart finally dropped. He urged the coachman to leave quickly, but was unaware that in another corner, a carriage was waiting quietly.

Huo Fenglie sat silently in the carriage, his dark eyes watching the Liu family carriage leave from a distance. His hands clenched involuntarily on his knees, as if he wanted to grab something. It wasn’t until the carriage disappeared that Huo Fenglie returned to his senses and inexplicably raised his hand toward his heart.

Then Bai Su came to see him, and when Mo Qi reported the next day’s arrangements, Huo Fenglie once again had a cold and distant demeanor, nothing out of the ordinary.

“By the way, I just asked Young Master Liu to help solve your mechanism box, but he refused and said he couldn’t do it.”

Huo Fenglie closed his eyes to rest and  gave a soft sound of acknowledgement.

“I hope I can find out the answer in this lifetime, or else I’ll die of curiosity,” Bai Su sighed.

Huo Fenglie didn’t respond. He only recalled what the foreign master had said about the brocade box.

That man said: When you feel incredibly confused, the contents will provide the answer.

This sounded like something impractical, such as a prophecy.

He had been confused many times in the past six years, but it still never opened. He had once wanted to know, but now he felt almost nothing.

Huo Fenglie stopped thinking so much, and the carriage of the General’s Manor gradually left in the opposite direction.

. . . . . . . 

Having returned home, Liu Zhenqing ignored his two cousins chattering excitedly to the family and quickly went to his room to pack his luggage. By the time the Old Master came to look for him, Liu Zhenqing had already begun to make arrangements for his departure.

The old man initially wanted to reprimand Liu Zhenqing for offending not only the First Princess and Rong Shiming when he went out, but also the Eighth Princess, but seeing Liu Zhenqing’s appearance of running for his life, he couldn’t say anything. If he wasn’t allowed to go, he would probably be unable to leave.

This time, there were no obstructions, and early the next morning, everyone in the Liu family stood at the door to see him off.

Liu Zhenqing took Jin Li to board the carriage, accompanied by four manor guards and two coachmen. He said goodbye to his family members one by one, and finally knelt down to salute the Old Master on behalf of Liu Xiaozhu, then went on his way with peace of mind.

Only, not long after he left, many people with weapons and ill-intentioned eyes gradually appeared around Liu Manor.

When the carriage arrived at the east city gate, Mo Qi was already waiting there.

Liu Zhenqing got out to greet him, and Mo Qi took him to the officials guarding the gate, where he introduced them and took out General Huo’s token. Because there were many people waiting in line early in the morning to pass review, it was inconvenient for Liu Zhenqing to jump into the long line. This token let the officials guarding the city know that their arrangements had been made by General Huo. They recognized it and let them pass the queue without any worries.

Liu Zhenqing calculated that based on the length of the retinue and the time it would take for them to pass and be checked by the gate guards, they could leave the capital in half an hour at most. At this thought, Liu Zhenqing’s low mood finally lifted.

Mo Qi was surprised to see Liu Zhenqing so happy, but he didn’t ask any questions, and only said: “It shouldn’t take too long. It’s cold this morning, Young Master Liu can go back into the carriage and wait. They have already noted down your identity, and they’ll just pass the carriage through later.”

Liu Zhenqing thanked him and said: “In that case, I will not delay Lieutenant General Mo. You must be very busy, and there is no need to waste time on us.”

Mo Qi had originally planned to complete his mission by watching Liu Zhenqing leave, but after some thought, it seemed unnecessary. Moreover, the Liu family entourage seemed rather nervous with him there, so Mo Qi cupped his hands in a salute and prepared to leave on horseback.

But after Mo Qi mounted his horse, Liu Zhenqing called out to him again.

“Does Young Master Liu have any other instructions?” Mo Qi asked.

Liu Zhenqing hesitated for a moment in thought, then gave a silent sigh. He would just consider it one last bit of help for Er-gou.

“Actually, I thought about it last night after going back and thought of a solution for the brocade box.”

Mo Qi’s eyes widened at once. He looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Young Master, please say it.”

“Since that strange master didn’t stipulate any rules for how it could be unlocked, nor by who, I thought that in this case, wouldn’t it be better to just split it open to see what’s inside? Why must it be solved step by step? When I discovered defective products in the past and couldn’t solve them, I just split them open. And no matter what material the brocade box is made of, I think that General Huo’s sword is up to the task. It should be a sword that can cut through iron as well as clay, and can easily split a brocade box.”

Liu Zhenqing said this casually.

Mo Qi was confused at first, and then enlightened, just like that time he set the fire. But in the end, he hesitated and said: “This…..could be considered cheating. Can…..can it be done?”

He felt that this method was not impossible to consider, it was just that no one would think in such an unsportsmanlike direction.

“Anyway, this is the only method I can think of.” Liu Zhenqing shrugged.

Judging by the look on Mo Qi’s face, he was shaken by the concept.

Liu Zhenqing shook his sleeves and cupped his hands. “I hope General Huo will be healthy and live a long life in the future. I will say farewell here.”

Mo Qi was taken aback, and felt that Liu Zhenqing still cared a little bit about the general even though he had lost his memory…..But when Mo Qi looked over, he felt that Liu Zhenqing’s expression didn’t look like longing, but more like…..he was giving his blessings to a junior.

He was bewildered for a moment, and then cupped his hands and left on horseback. 

Liu Zhenqing returned to the carriage, which soon began to move toward the city gate.

. . . . . . .

In the Imperial palace study, the emperor gave a sigh and said slowly: “It seems the Liu family really has a bad fate. Send an order…..for the Jinyiwei to arrest all members of the Liu family and take them to the Imperial Prison to await trial.”

“Yes!” He Cong, the commander of the Jinyiwei, accepted the order.

“Just in the name of the Imperial Examination fraud.”

As he spoke, the emperor lowered his head and lightly drew with the inked brush in his hand. On the paper were written the words “Spring Plowing Ceremony,” “rebellion,” “entering the capital,” and “river transport.”

Once the person left, the emperor said quietly: “Don’t blame me for being cruel……”

. . . . . . .

“What? Arrest the Liu family?” Qin Yu said in shock.

He Lan said as he left in a hurry: “Yes, ah, it was prepared an hour ago. I just got news of His Majesty’s decree and we’re about to take action.”

“Then Liu Xiaozhu…..has he left?” Qin Yu asked in confusion, frowning.

“I’m not sure, I’ve been busy lately. How about…..informing Zhanyuan? After all, Liu Xiaozhu performed a kindness for the twins, and Zhanyuan wants to protect him.”

“Fine, I’ll send someone to inform him.”

. . . . . . . .

When Mo Qi returned to the General’s Manor, he went straight to Huo Fenglie’s courtyard. Huo Fenglie was of course training hard at this time. 

When he saw Mo Qi coming back, he stopped and asked about his progress.

Mo Qi said: “Don’t worry, General, I have already made the arrangements. By the way, Young Master Liu told me before he left……”

Mo Qi relayed Liu Zhenqing’s words, and Huo Fenglie was taken aback.

“I think this method is feasible,” Mo Qi said.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes flashed, and he was stunned for a moment. Then he turned around and walked unhesitatingly toward the study.

And at this moment, someone jumped from the roof and attacked him.

Mo Qi was about to take action, but after seeing the person clearly, he stood still.

“Second Uncle! I’ve learned a new trick to try out!”

Huo Yunci flew toward Huo Fenglie in her fighting outfit, and Huo Yunqian also walked out from a doorway and watched with a smile.

Although Huo Fenglie usually trained with the twins, his mind was not currently on this. There was a strange sense of impatience spreading through his body, and he just wanted to end it quickly. The fastest way, of course, was to remove the opponent’s weapon and subdue them with a finishing move.

Little did he know that Huo Yunci was waiting for this.

When Huo Fenglie snatched the weapon from her hand and stabbed at her, Huo Yunci did not evade, but rushed toward him. Seeing this abnormal move, Mo Qi was shocked. He saw Huo Yunci use her arm as a shackle, directly letting Huo Fenglie’s knife-wielding hand pass underneath before clamping down hard. She had practiced this move for a long time and was afraid that she would not be able to catch it. After all, it was the key to the subsequent move.

But Huo Fenglie’s eyes changed slightly at the beginning of this move.

Perhaps the heavens were on her side, or perhaps Huo Fenglie was absent-minded, but Huo Yunci completed the first move.

In general, if one’s hand was stuck and their weapon was also taken away, according to martial arts routines, one would use their legs. 

But at this moment, Huo Yunci curled her lips in a smile, and a silver glint suddenly appeared in the fingers of her other hand. It turned out to be a hidden dagger.

The dagger swung at Huo Fenglie, aimed at his throat.

Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank, and it was as if he was seeing countless double images. A familiar image replaced Huo Yunci in front of him, and his brother’s voice came to his ears.

The afternoon sun was just right, and several people were practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

“Zhenqing, watch carefully. The stab to the throat is an illusion. The other person will definitely tilt his head to avoid it like me. At this time, your wrist must immediately……”

Huo Fenglie tilted his head to avoid it and watched as Huo Yunci’s wrist immediately turned.

“Liu Zhenqing, you know where the carotid artery is, so just aim there…..if you can’t find it correctly, I’ll tell the master and see if he punishes you!”

The dagger in Huo Yunci’s hand stabbed directly toward the side of Huo Fenglie’s neck.

Such a ferocious move made Mo Qi’s eyes widen. He was amazed at this decisive move where the weak defeated the strong! And then his pupils quivered.

“General!”

“Jie!”

The two people watching shouted one after another.

Huo Yunci was also shocked. Her hand was too close and she couldn’t pull the move back, so she had to rely on Huo Fenglie to avoid it, but Huo Fenglie was lost in thought.

According to Huo Fenglie’s skill and Huo Yunci’s speed, this was a move that could be easily avoided. Huo Yunci just wanted to show off this newly acquired killing move. If he was injured…..

“Second Uncle!”

Almost as fast as lightning, Huo Fenglie grabbed her wrist when the dagger was about to penetrate his skin.

Huo Yunci breathed a sigh of relief. “Second Uncle, what are you doing? You scared me to death.”

But in the next moment, Huo Yunci was stunned. Because there was an indescribable expression on Huo Fenglie’s face, like something was breaking through the soil, like he was nervous and at a loss. But such an expression should not appear on her Second Uncle, ah. And at the same time, Huo Yunci felt that her wrist was about to be crushed.

“Second Uncle?” Huo Yunci was alarmed.

Huo Yunqian and Mo Qi also felt that something was wrong with Huo Fenglie. As they were about to approach, they heard Huo Fenglie ask almost harshly: “Where did you learn this trick?”

Huo Yunci was startled, and immediately became frightened, thinking that Huo Fenglie would forbid her from using such a dangerous trick. “Second Uncle, is it not good? I won’t use it anymore.”

“Who taught you this!” Huo Fenglie seldom shouted at his niece like this. “Was it your mother or…..”

“Mother?” Huo Yunci was stunned, clearly not expecting that answer at all.

Such a reaction also made Huo Fenglie rule out the only possible answer. His heart shook, and his pupils trembled.

Although Huo Yunqian didn’t understand what was going on, when his Second Uncle asked, he naturally told everything he knew.

“Actually, during the fight to the death at Longxing Gambling House last time, Uncle Liu didn’t know martial arts, but he used it as a panicked counterattack. Jiejie thought it was very useful, and gradually improved it into what it is now.”

Uncle Liu…..Liu Xiaozhu…..Liu……

All the ridiculous suspicions and wistful thoughts gathered in his mind. A figure flashed, and Huo Fenglie disappeared on the spot.

Someone once said: How can there be so many coincidences in this world? If there are too many coincidences, then no matter how unbelievable it is, it is the truth.

With the sound of the brocade box being chopped to pieces by a sword, a yellowed paper slowly fell in front of Huo Fenglie like an illusory feather.

Huo Fenglie reached out his hand to catch it. There was only one sentence written on it.

“Originally a guest from outside this world who did not expect to stir up dust, since a debt has been left behind, a soul will return.”

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[1] This is likely a play on Rong Shiming’s name. The character ‘ming’ ( 鸣 ) looks similar to the character ‘bird’ ( 鸟 ). ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Seven