“Don’t worry about me!” At the critical moment, Liu Zhenqing stepped back so as not to cause trouble for Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie took a quick glance to make sure Liu Zhenqing was fine, then immediately grabbed Qiao Jin and stepped aside.

Dai Tingyu shielded Tang Mu and withdrew. He saw a figure flash by so quickly that his eyes couldn’t follow it.

When he was able to see clearly, the newcomer had already begun to fight with Huo Fenglie.

After a handful of moves, Qiao Jin found an opening and swiftly broke away while the other dealt with Huo Fenglie.

Dai Tingyu immediately jumped into the fighting ring to assist.

Tang Mu quickly approached Liu Zhenqing and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Liu Zhenqing shook his head and then regarded the new arrival. This person should be Qiao Jin’s bodyguard. He wore a comical street mask, and although there were no distinguishing features, Liu Zhenqing somehow felt that he was familiar. 

Qiao Jin and the bodyguard worked well together, especially since the bodyguard was extremely skilled in martial arts.

In an instant, Huo Fenglie and Dai Tinyu were at a disadvantage. 

Qiao Jin rushed forward at once, as if he intended to kill Huo Fenglie with a final move.

This was outright seeking death. Huo Fenglie promptly slapped him.

Before Qiao Jin could react, he was kicked away by the bodyguard, who met Huo Fenglie’s blow with his own palm.

Internal strength leaked out as the two palms met, instantly knocking away the surrounding tables and chairs.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression shifted slightly. Huo Fenglie’s treatment was still ongoing, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to use his internal strength. He had to stay back no matter what, so Liu Zhenqing shouted: “Stop!”

Huo Fenglie retreated at once with Dai Tingyu to protect Liu Zhenqing.

The guard also stood in front of Qiao Jin, regarding Huo Fenglie warily. Qiao Jin touched his neck where it had been gripped and said to the guard: “He shouted stop, so you stopped? In the end, who do you listen to?”

He actually lost his temper at his own guard?

The guard turned his head to look back at Qiao Jin.

Qiao Jin gritted his teeth, then said to everyone: “Today was a learning experience. Till we meet again.”

Having said this, the two leaped up and away.

Dai Tingyu immediately glanced at Tang Mu and said: “What should we do? Close the city?”

Tang Mu frowned and shook his head: “With their speed, we won’t be able to catch up.”

“Who was he?” Dai Tingyu asked.

“He should be…..the king of Western Shu.”

Shocked, Dai Tingyu looked askance at Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing quickly stepped forward to support Huo Fenglie, saying to the two of them: “The carriage!”

Only then did the two realize there was something wrong with Huo Fenglie’s expression. The carriage took them back to the City Lord’s manor. By the time Huo Fenglie returned to the courtyard, he had already started to vomit blood.

“Master!” Liu Zhenqing shouted anxiously.

The master and Han Ye immediately rushed out and saw the situation. They were instantly furious, but it wasn’t the right time to be angry. They quickly helped this person into the house and began treatment.

With an ugly expression, Liu Zhenqing sat down to wait in the courtyard.

Out of courtesy, Dai Tingyu and Tang Mu usually wouldn’t step inside their courtyard.

This time, the two followed them inside. Seeing this, Dai Tingyu couldn’t help but say: “What’s wrong with Brother Huo, ah? Although the man just now had great skill in martial arts, the internal force of that strike shouldn’t have been enough to hurt Brother Huo.”

Liu Zhenqing had to say, “Didn’t you participate in the fight against the alliance of the three small nations with Huo Fenglie before? Do you recall why they attacked?”

Dai Tingyu was taken aback, then heard Tang Mu say: “Because everyone heard that Huo Fenglie was injured and would soon be dead, so they decided to try their chances.”

“Yes, it was because of his injury at that time. He is still undergoing treatment. The guard just now originally couldn’t have hurt Huo Fenglie, but because his internal injuries have yet to heal, it’s not suitable for him to fight against a master. So…..” As he spoke, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but bring his fist down on the table. “It’s all my fault.”

Tang Mu quickly spoke: “How can it be your fault? It was they who took the initiative to provoke us, and it was only a matter of time before we met. No one could have known he had such a capable guard. Before, General Huo would have been more than enough to deal with the King of Western Shu.”

Dai Tingyu immediately nodded in agreement: “Back then, Brother Huo went into battle injured, then was injured even further. He was fine then, and this time there are miracle doctors here, so he’ll definitely be okay. Brother Huo has the strongest willpower of anyone I’ve ever met.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched: “Yes, ah, he has great fortitude.” Though he knew this, such an incident was still aggravating. “Hmph, if I ever catch the King of Western Shu and that guard, I’ll definitely make them pay.”

Just as he was speaking, he saw Han Ye come out and rushed up to question him.

Han Ye said to Liu Zhenqing snappily: “There’s good news and bad news.”

Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly: “Who taught you to talk like this? I just want to know that Fenglie is alright!”

Han Ye rolled his eyes. “Now you worry. You should be more careful, ah. I think you just want to shorten our lives. The good news is that he’s fine, and it was a blessing in disguise that the blockage opened up. There’s no need to delay treatment for another month or two. Just five days will do, and he won’t have further trouble from then on.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly: “And the bad news is……”

“The process of the treatment is extremely painful, and he won’t be able to come out during those five days,” Han Ye said.

Liu Zhenqing asked at once: “What level of extreme pain, like when Master…..”

“It will hurt twice as much as the previous time.” Han Ye said, “But according to his character, he’ll definitely be fine. Master told me to come out and tell you not to worry. We’ll just get it over with and he’ll be okay. You don’t need to stay here for these five days, stay farther away.”

Liu Zhenqing’s face paled. The time before had been the most painful thing, and Huo Fenglie had called out to him for a whole day, ah. Now his master was telling him to stay far away. Wasn’t this because he feared that Liu Zhenqing would hear something and be frightened?

His expression distorted in distress. Han Ye saw this and said: “Don’t worry so much. Instead of spending a month or two in uncertainty, now it will be over in five days. This is a good thing as far as us doctors are concerned.”

Liu Zhenqing regarded Han Ye with complicated emotions. “I won’t leave.”

Han Ye said: “Are you certain he wants you to stay?”

Of course Er-gou wouldn’t be happy, but Liu Zhenqing also had grounds to forestall him. 

“If I’m not there and the news spreads, others will know that Huo Fenglie is receiving treatment,” Liu Zhenqing said gravely.

“It’s up to you.” Han Ye didn’t bother to dissuade him.

Dai Tingyu couldn’t help but step forward to ask about Huo Fenglie’s injuries. Han Ye wasn’t very willing to pay attention to him and glanced away, his sight falling on Tang Mu.

Tang Mu was also somewhat anxious, but according to the relationship he had with Huo Fenglie, it wasn’t easy for him to inquire.

Unexpectedly, Han Ye’s gaze lingered strangely on Tang Mu’s face. But he didn’t say anything, and looked away as he explained.

“You two have heard everything. We won’t be going out after this, and if something happens outside…..”

Tang Mu understood thoroughly, and said: “Don’t worry, if something serious happens, we won’t bother you. Just treat him in peace.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded and gave thanks. The two people said their farewells and left.

Walking outside the courtyard, Han Ye ordered the servants to not come and serve them for the next five days.

“Tsk, I don’t understand.” Dai Tingyu scratched his head fretfully. 

“What is it?” Tang Mu asked.

“This ailment has been going on for so long. It can obviously be cured, so why didn’t Brother Huo have it done back then, ah?”

Tang Mu smiled helplessly: “There must be a reason, ah. For example, perhaps there was not a good treatment for it at that time, or the injury wasn’t as serious then. It can’t be that he didn’t cooperate with the treatment.”

Dai Tingyu thought for a while, and his expression became inexplicably strange. 

Tang Mu didn’t think too much about it, but he was curious.

The battle that year was not close to Nanfeng City, so Tang Mu only heard about it and sent supplies to the front. When he heard Dai Tingyu bring up the events at that time, he couldn’t help but wonder: “In the battle back then, rumors said that once the God of War arrived, he was invincible. It turns out things were so difficult?”

Dai Tingyu hurriedly nodded, saying: “Exactly. When Brother Huo arrived, his face was still pale. At that time, we only thought that he was majestic and untouchable. We had no idea that he was recovering from a serious injury. It’s all because we were useless and couldn’t help shoulder the burden. He took over the worst situation as soon as he came. I remember that in the following battles, he rode Chen Jiangyue with a high fever and led everyone to fight. The enemy didn’t notice. Only when he returned to the military camp did he collapse and receive urgent treatment from the military doctors.”

Tang Mu was shocked to hear this: “There was actually this sort of danger, and those of us at the rear had no clue.”

“Not many people knew about his condition. Because I was also injured and couldn’t go to the battlefield, I applied to personally care for Brother Huo. At that time, I didn’t dare to sleep at night for fear that something would happen to Brother Huo, who was seriously injured. But not only did nothing happen to him, each day when the drums sounded, he stood up as if nothing was wrong and put on his armor and red tassel, continuing to fight on horseback. The hard armor rubbed against his body and pressed on the wound. Blood oozed out, but there was no expression on his face.”

Dai Tingyu spoke as if in a trance: “Back then, I wasn’t familiar with Brother Huo. I only felt that his majesty was terrifying, just like a cold Imperial blade, completely disregarding life and death. That he was an emotionless person. But one night, I discovered a secret. I never thought about him in such a way again.”

“What was it?” Tang Mu asked curiously.

“It was just as you guessed,” Dai Tingyu said directly, not hiding anything.

Tang Mu’s expression became somewhat unnatural. He said: “It was because General Huo admired…..that person?”

Dai Tingyu nodded and said: “I found that when Brother Huo was muddleheaded, he would keep repeating the name ‘Qing-ge.’ There was also a tattoo that gradually appeared on his body due to the fever.”

“A tattoo?” Tang Mu was taken aback.

“En, it has something to do with that person. Anyway, all signs indicated that Brother Huo had feelings for that person. It was at that point that I felt Brother Huo was human too. Regardless of whether his love interest was the right person or not, Brother Huo was an infatuated kid. Because the object of his infatuation was already dead, Brother Huo really looked like he was half-dead too. But he still stuck to his job, which really made people sympathetic. So what I’m seeing now really surprises me. It feels like Brother Huo has come back to life. Although……he still has the same majesty, but he seems completely different than before.”

Tang Mu said with a sigh: “The credit goes to Brother Liu.”

Dai Tingyu also couldn’t help but sigh, saying: “I didn’t expect that the dignified general who guards the country would be influenced by a love affair. I really didn’t expect it. In fact, I was originally worried that with the two of them so close, an intelligent person like Young Master Liu would see the tattoo and make some connections. But seeing how good their relationship is now, I figure there isn’t a problem.”

“What kind of tattoo is it?” Tang Mu asked curiously.

“Liu…..”

Which character Liu?^[1] 

Liu Zhenqing stood behind the wall, pressing up against it. But whether Dai Tingyu couldn’t explain it clearly or it wasn’t convenient to continue, the two went quiet for a moment and then changed the subject.

Liu Zhenqing was frustrated for a while. It would be no good for him to show up suddenly and ask, because they already regarded him as a substitute and definitely wouldn’t tell him.

But his first reaction was that the tattoo was a name. Was it Liu Zhenqing or Liu Xiting? It seemed to make sense that he was too embarrassed to show him his tattoo because it was Liu Zhenqing’s name, but Er-gou didn’t mind showing it to others? Rumors painted them as having a hostile relationship, and if others saw it, there would be a strange scandal. But he’d never heard of one, ah. Or perhaps he took a smarter approach and the tattoo only appeared with heat, so the only ones with a chance to see it included people like Dai Tingyu.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dwell overly much on the tattoo. After all, he already knew Huo Fenglie liked him, and this was just a bit of fun, the icing on the cake. It was just that after hearing about Huo Fenglie’s situation a few years back, he was in a very low mood.

Huo Fenglie had only touched on it lightly before.

Although he knew that the process must have been more serious than Huo Fenglie described, he hadn’t thought it was this bad.

Liu Zhenqing had just remembered that there was something he needed to say to them, so he chased after them when they left. He didn’t expect to hear such a conversation, so he listened carefully in secret, and now his chest hurt.

After kneading it for a moment, he went out to meet them.

There was a pond outside, and dozens of weeping willows could be seen. There were also a lot of willows at the City Lord’s manor.

When Liu Zhenqing walked out, he heard them talking about the matter of the Western Shu Kingdom.

“What on earth is the king of Western Shu thinking? Why did he sneak into Nanfeng City just to meet Brother Huo?” Dai Tingyu asked in puzzlement.

“Seeing his behavior today, it was indeed consistent with Brother Liu’s analysis. He is not a very calm person, he is impatient and radical, and his heart might be loftier than the sky. He is fearless, so he wanted to try and test the God of War,” Tang Mu speculated.

As soon as they saw Liu Zhenqing arrive, the two froze. They seemed to be worried that Liu Zhenqing had overheard something he shouldn’t hear. 

Liu Zhenqing got straight to the point: “I forgot to tell you something. Since the King of Western Shu dared to come and provoke him, that proves he has the intention to attack. And according to the mentality he showcased before, he might be eager to compete with Fenglie. Although the timeframe is unknown, we must be prepared. He doesn’t have a friendly attitude toward Great Zhou, so I suggest you prepare for battle.”

“Prepare for battle?!” Dai Tingyu said in shock: “Is this really necessary?”

“The preparation should be slow,” Liu Zhenqing said. “With the goal of not alerting the enemy, carry on as usual while adjusting strategy materials, weapons, and tools. If my guess is right, we’ll be ready, and if it’s wrong, it won’t be a big loss. In any case, people should be sent to keep an eye on Western Shu’s troops and generals closest to here.”

Dai Tingyu stared at Liu Zhenqing, then nodded gravely and said: “I understand.”

Tang Mu said: “I will also do my utmost to cooperate and maintain a good appearance.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled. It was rather gratifying that these two respected his opinions. After he explained the matter, the two went about their own business. 

At this time, Qiao Jin and his guard had returned to Western Shu and met up with his entourage.

When everyone saw their master returning, they all knelt down and shouted ‘long live the King of Western Shu.’

Qiao Jin walked into the tent, and when the guard followed him inside, he finally couldn’t help but say in a fury: “You went easy on him!”

“I said I wouldn’t hurt him.” The guard removed his mask expressionlessly, revealing a face that wasn’t handsome, but was good enough looking. 

“But he hurt me! You didn’t come out to protect me right away! You don’t care about me!”

The guard looked at him with a slight frown.

Qiao Jin was enraged. “Don’t look at me like I’m making trouble for no good reason!”

“Yuan Jin…..”

Qiao Jin’s expression changed drastically. “I told you not to call me Yuan Jin. Call me Qiao Jin outside! Qiao! Like Liu Qiao!”

Liu Qiao gave the man a strange look. “What exactly are you angry about?”

Qiao Jin stepped forward and said in one breath: “I’m angry that you treated an outsider better than me when you keep saying you’ll protect me!”

“You were too close to him right then. General Huo is a master in martial arts, and there wasn’t enough time,” Liu Qiao said matter-of-factly. “Why did you go forward and provoke him?”

Qiao Jin glared at Liu Qiao. “Because I bought flowers and someone didn’t want them. Why shouldn’t I give them away?”

Liu Qiao looked at him like he couldn’t understand him. This man had tried to give the flowers to him, but he didn’t want them, as they would hinder his movements. Qiao Jin had suddenly become unhappy, and Liu Zhenqing didn’t know why. The temperament of this kind of superior was always unpredictable. His master was still better. 

“What are you thinking about! I’m talking to you!”

“I’m thinking about my master,” Liu Qiao said bluntly. Seeing Huo Fenglie had indeed reminded him of his master.

Qiao Jin almost fainted in anger. “Y-y-you! Then you ought to take action against Huo Fenglie even more! Didn’t he dig up the grave and burn the corpse? You don’t even have a grave to pay homage to.”

Liu Qiao said with a frown: “That’s not the case. He liked Master and was good to him.”

“You!” Jin Qiao laughed in anger, then said abruptly: “He liked him, but isn’t there another man with him now? And he also seems to be from the Liu family. His infatuation with your master wasn’t enough for him not to change his mind the moment he saw something different.”

Liu Qiao thought for a moment, then said: “Master also didn’t say he liked him. I don’t think there is a problem with him protecting this person like jade.”

Qiao Jin was short of breath, and could only say: “Okay, then Huo Fenglie can at best be regarded as Liu Zhenqing’s friend, right? Let me just ask, if we have a conflict, who will you help? Don’t…..don’t you forget, you and Liu Zhenqing were only together for three years, but you and I have been together for almost nine years. We’re…..we’re together.”

“You insist on having a conflict with him? What on earth do you intend to do?” Liu Qiao asked in confusion. 

Qiao Jin’s eyes suddenly darkened as he looked at Liu Qiao. Suddenly, a report came from outside the camp.

The message quickly reached Qiao Jin.

His expression changed slightly as he took a glance. Handing the report to Liu Qiao, he said with a sneer: “See, just as I thought. We’ve been forced into conflict.”

Liu Qiao took a look. His expression seemed a little complicated, but he soon recovered his calm, unperturbed appearance. “They did it without our consent. Are they trying to guard against you?”

“It’s reasonable for you to think of me. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.” After speaking, he crushed the secret message. His face was blatantly cold. “I want to see who the oriole is.” 

Three days later, the City Lord’s manor not only received an Imperial edict, but also an unexpected guest.

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[1] Reminder: The first character of Liu Zhenqing’s name (柳) is also the character for the willow tree. #fnref-1

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Chapter One Hundred Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Eight