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

After eating, Liang Shu made a special trip to find Liu Xianche and ask him about what happened in Chuqiu City.

“The behavior of that group of people was very strange. It wasn’t sinister or loathsome, but rather, they had a sense of being out of place in the world,” Liu Xianche recalled. “I guessed at the time that they might have come from an isolated island in the eastern sea and had little contact with the world, so their words and actions seemed clearly different from others.”

But now that he thought about it, it was more likely that the other party lived in the dense forest than an island, because all the young men and women in the group had fair skin, and even their lips had no color at all. This was indeed a symptom of not seeing the sun all year round.

Liang Shu asked: “How did they conduct themselves in society?”

“They knew etiquette very well. Even when they were driven away by other doctors at the beginning, they did not get angry or make a fuss. Instead, they bowed and left, neither humble nor arrogant.” Liu Xianche said, “If it is really them in the dense forest, then they should be able to sit down and discuss terms with the prince.”

. . . . . . .

The fact that Liang Shu used the wind wings to speak to the forest tribe also spread to the Baifu Sect’s lair.

The gloomy weather made it so that even though the front hall was filled with candles, it wasn’t very bright, but rather a bit more depressing. Among them sat several Nanyang wizards wearing black robes. They were the guests that Mu Zhe had paid a large sum of money to invite, and were also old acquaintances he had met when he lived in the islands in his early years.

“Does Master Mu think that Liang Shu has the ability to convince those bandits living in the dense forest?” asked a woman in her twenties.

“Whether he can persuade them or not, both of them will die,” Mu Zhe said. “It doesn’t matter.”

The woman cackled. She had no objection to the fact that “anyone who went against them would die,” but what she objected to was the price. A pair of pretty eyes glanced at the next door, and she warned: “Master Mu, our efforts this time are much greater than yours. We are the ones who plotted and carried out the capture of Ku You. I fear you will still have to rely on us to recover the lost silver in the future. I’ve heard that your precious apprentice has been lying in bed for many days. Is he almost recovered?”

Mu Zhe said: “He is not the only assassin in the Baifu Sect.”

“I know, there is another one.” The woman’s gaze fell outside the window. Feng Xiaojin was walking through the courtyard holding a bowl of medicine. “But with all due respect, he doesn’t seem to want to do anything for Master Mu.”

Feng Xiaojin opened the door and saw Wumeng Yunyou reclining on the bedside, turning over a wooden sparrow in his hand.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

“A-Le bought it when she went out.” Wumeng Yunyou tossed the bird onto the bed. “She said that everyone is rushing to get them and they are very rare, but I find it boring.”

Feng Xiaojin smiled. He sat on the side of the bed and handed him the medicine bowl: “A-Le has come to stay with you a lot recently.”

“Yes.” Wumeng Yunyou said leisurely, “She is just like me during this time, unnecessary.”

Under the offensive of Liang Shu and the Southwest Garrison, the Baifu Sect had stopped most of its external activities, leaving the Holy Maiden with nothing to do. Feng Xiaojin said: “This is a good thing.”

“I heard that the Master caught Ku You.” Wumeng Yunyou returned the empty bowl. “Has he been killed?”

“He is still valuable for now,” Feng Xiaojin said. “All those who enter the Baifu Sect must be drained of their last remaining value before they die.”

Wumeng Yunyou didn’t hear the deeper meaning in his words. He just held the wound under his ribs, slowly moved to sit up higher, and said with a frown: “Hiss…..I would like to see him.”

“Why see him, to look at how disgraced Ku You is now?”

Wumeng Yunyou didn’t deny it. Over the years, all members of the Baifu Sect had suffered a lot because of Ku You. Coupled with the deliberate exaggeration in their doctrine, everyone hated him deeply. For such a person to be imprisoned within the Baifu Sect, anyone would want to watch the fun.

Feng Xiaojin shook his head: “You have grown up. There is no need to look for such childish entertainment.”

“I also wanted to do something less childish, but alas.” Wumeng Yunyou patted his injury in boredom and asked, “Uncle, since the Master has kidnapped Ku You this time, Liang Shu will be furious. If he really fights with us, tsk…..will both sides suffer?”

“At that time, I will take you and Yunle and leave,” Feng Xiaojin said lightly.

Wumeng Yunyou opened his eyes wide. This was a path he had never imagined. “Leave?”

Feng Xiaojin nodded and left.

Even if the lives of this brother and sister were as short as fireworks after they left, they would not die in a cruel war or by Liang Shu’s sword, but by his side, among the beautiful green mountains and rivers of the Southwest.

Ku You was imprisoned in a secret cell not far from there. His eyes were still covered with silver gauze and he could not see anything. He could only rely on his hearing to make judgments.

A girl’s footsteps were different from those of an adult man, light and nimble. The fabric of the dress rubbed against itself, and the silver jewelry on her wrists jingled. When the guard saw her, he hurriedly bowed his head and saluted: “Holy Maiden.”

“Open the cell door,” Wumeng Yunle ordered. “I want to go in and take a look.”

The guard’s face showed reluctance, but he did not dare to disobey the Holy Maiden’s order. After much hesitation, he untied the chains and covertly signaled with his eyes for his companion to report the matter to the Master as soon as possible.

Wumeng Yunle ignored their small movements and bent down to enter the cell. She had heard Ku You’s name long ago and knew that he was the Baifu Sect’s third enemy behind Liang Yu and Liang Shu. Born in a nomadic tribe in the Northwest, he had the appearance of an evil god but prided himself on being righteous. She looked at the silver-haired young man in the shadows for a moment, then suddenly reached out and pulled off the silver gauze covering his eyes.

She wanted to see the rumored ominous golden eyes, but was shocked instead. The moment the silver gauze fell off, Wumeng Yunle let out a small exclamation and stepped back, a small dagger falling from her sleeve. She had never thought that there could be such eyes in the world, like mountains of gold illuminated by the sun, or like some kind of strange beast that only appeared in paintings.

Ku You turned to follow her voice. His gaze seemed stern and grave, but upon closer inspection, his pupils were still unfocused.

Wumeng Yunle breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed the dagger: “I thought you could see.”

Ku You asked: “Are you here to negotiate terms with me?”

“Interrogating you is for the Master to do.” Wumeng Yunle sat across from him. “I was just bored, so I came over to take a look. I heard that you personally signed the order to kill us all.”

“Shouldn’t an evil cult be killed?” Ku You asked.

“Evil or not evil, this isn’t for your emperor to say.” Wumeng Yunle looked at him. “Why can people live by following you, but believe in us and die?”

“What you say isn’t wrong. If people believe in your cause, they will die,” Ku You said. “It is not the Imperial court that wants them dead, but you and the so-called Baifu Buddha Mother behind you who want them to die. How many innocent people have been bewitched by you and have no intention of working honestly anymore? They abandon their fertile fields and sell their wives and daughters just to meet you once in exchange for eternal life at the end of the world. With such despicable and absurd teachings, do you still think you are not evil?”

Wumeng Yunle said unhappily: “That is because they want to offer their wealth and family members in exchange for eternal life. They are not bewitched by me.”

She threw the silver gauze in her hand back at the young man: “When you can see my face, you will not speak so rudely, but kneel on the ground in fear like the rest of them.”

Ku You closed his eyes and scoffed: “You are just an accomplice to evil.”

Wumeng Yunle had been instilled since childhood with the concept that all men should surrender to the compassion and beauty of the Baifu Buddha Mother. She raised her hand to touch her cheek, feeling angry that the other person was blind. She turned around to leave, but remembered another thing and asked: “Have you met Liu Nanyuan? I hear that she is also very beautiful.”

“I have never seen her,” Ku You said. “But every garrison officer wants to see her, and it has nothing to do with her beauty. The southwest is full of poisonous insects. Third Young Lady Liu once made three cartloads of cooling ointment and had it delivered for free, and also sent a large number of carefully developed prescriptions to traveling doctors across the southwest. In this way, if we really want to talk about the reincarnation of a compassionate Bodhisattva, I’m afraid it will not be your turn.”

Wumeng Yunle was extremely unhappy: “I will find someone to cure your eyes!”

“So the only weapon you can rely on is just an empty face.” Ku You’s voice was cold. “Even if you are really more beautiful than Third Young Lady Liu, so what?”

Wumeng Yunle didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She turned around and ran out, but instead of looking for Feng Xiaojin and Wumeng Yunyou, she broke into Liu Hengchang’s residence—this was the only doctor she knew who could possibly help her.

. . . . . . .

Outside the Valley of Ten Faces, Gao Lin chewed on a sesame seed cake without the ability to swallow it. While looking at the sky, he felt that Ku You was probably being hung up and beaten at this moment, and as he became more and more anxious, he turned to ask his sister: “It’s already the third day. Will the prince’s trick work?”

“Even if it doesn’t work, the army will be able to cut down the trees and enter the mountains tomorrow,” Cheng Suyue said. “If we can’t trick them, we’ll fight our way in. Even if the people living in the forest are really immortals, as long as they are not the same race as Second Young Master Liu, they should not be able to defeat our prince.”

Liu Xian’an’s nose was itchy from being talked about, and he squatted in the courtyard to sneeze a series of times. He felt dizzy and was not able to move for a long time. Liang Shu watched from a distance. It was as if he had fallen asleep with his arms hugging his knees again. Just as he was about to go out and bring him back, a soldier rushed in and said: “Reporting—”

The raised voice made Liu Xian’an tremble with fright, and when he looked up, he saw a black shadow rushing toward him and was instantly stunned. The soldier also ran forward, only to realize that there was someone crouching on the path. He tried to stop, but was too late, and could only scream “Aaah!” At the critical moment, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang descended from the sky and lifted the lazy egg into his arms, also giving a hand to the soldier who was tripping over himself.

“Your High-high-high—” The soldier was in shock, and it took him a long moment to say his next words. “Your Highness, the people from the forest are really here, a whole group of them!”

As for the specific extent of a ‘whole group,’ it was difficult to describe, but when they walked out of the forest with their snow clothes flying, the first reaction of the garrison was — could it be that the prince’s festive suona was really effective enough that the tribe was so annoyed that they moved out with their families?

Liang Shu walked quickly and asked: “What are they like?”

“Answering the prince, they all have excellent looks and communication skills,” the soldier replied. “They look similar to the two young masters of the Liu family.”

They had excellent looks and communication skills. Liu Xian’an thought, ah, there is an eighty percent chance Da-ge is really going to be sent out in exchange for the gold.

Gao Lin and Cheng Suyue wanted to receive the news first, and were already approaching the front hall. Gao Lin took a look from afar, and suddenly reached out and grasped his sister’s wrist: “Don’t go yet, look at me, am I seeing things clearly? Why is there a child in their arms?”

Cheng Suyue said: “They aren’t just holding a child.”

Among them was an old man with snow-white hair, a truly old man with a beard that could drag on the ground. And there was a woman with a big belly. Why would she participate in such activities even though she was pregnant? Cheng Suyue said in admiration: “Those who can pave the ground with gold bricks are truly different. I have changed my opinion now. I fear that our prince will not be able to control this kind of situation, and Second Young Master Liu will have to do it.”

The soldiers in charge of the reception were also very polite to this group of people. They felt that they were not like a wild tribe in the dense forest, but like gods. Thinking again, this group of gods had once robbed Mu Zhe of his gold and silver and injured his arm. With even more awe in their hearts, the scholars raised their hands and said loudly: “Everyone, please drink some tea first. Our prince will be here soon.”

One of them asked: “We heard that First Young Master Liu from Baihe Mountain Village is also here?”

“Yes, not only is First Young Master Liu here, but Second Young Master Liu is also here,” the soldier introduced enthusiastically. “So if any of you distinguished guests are ill, you can rest assured and look ahead boldly.”

Gao Lin stood at the door and sighed in distress.

How could he put it? The cultural quality of the entire Dayan garrison had truly plummeted.

Rushing out to the sea, never to return.

It needed to be improved urgently, urgently.

---

Chapter One Hundred << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Two

He Feng and the others had first talked badly behind their backs, and even questioned the financial power of the Bo family. If this matter was not dealt with publicly—

Firstly, it would allow the guests to be even more critical in private, and secondly, it would allow Pei Yi and Bo Yueming to be unreasonably wronged.

Old Mrs. Bo had always been a person who said what she meant. She couldn’t be bothered to listen to the excuses of He Feng and the others, and directly asked a hotel attendant to “invite” them out.

The person in charge of planning the guest list this time was Xue Min, and one of the gossiping couples were good friends of her and Bo Lihong.

Old Mrs. Bo invited the other party out without giving them any dignity at all. Wasn’t this a backhanded jab to not give her any face?

Xue Min glanced at her indifferent husband, feeling embarrassed and unavoidably angry.

What could be done? After the collapse of the main branch, Bo Yueming had secured his position as director of Bo Group.

Although her daughter Bo Jiao and her son Bo Wang both worked at group headquarters, and their positions were not low, they were still lower than Bo Yueming.

How could she, their mother, not harbor any grudges at all?

Bo Peizhi looked around. Her eyes lingered on Xue Min’s face for a moment, then moved away, and she started the show with a bang.

“Thank you all for coming to my birthday party, but I still have to say a few words first.”

“Our Bo family has experienced a lot of turmoil in the past year, but now it has been resolved. Those who should not stay have already left, and the people remaining are standing upright!”

“I am old and not too inquisitive about other people’s business. The future of these grandchildren’s relationship and marriage is up to them.”

“Yueming and Xiao Yi are both good children. Although their marriage started as a business relationship, it is not limited to that.”

“I, Bo Peizhi, cannot tolerate certain things or people, and I don’t like hearing the clacking abacuses of those people making their own calculations. As long as I’m still standing, those unclean things will not appear before me!”

How could someone enter a truly wealthy family at will?

Bo Peizhi was tired of the harm caused by intrigue, and sincerely hoped that her grandchildren could find someone they truly loved, and live happily together for a lifetime.

Everyone understood what Old Mrs Bo meant, and even if they had other thoughts in mind, everyone was now aware of the situation and didn’t dare reveal them.

The birthday banquet started on time.

The guests invited by Old Mrs. Bo all had some capital. In addition to celebrating her birthday, this had naturally become another occasion for interpersonal communication.

Bo Wang picked up some champagne and whispered to Bo Jaio, “Sister…..you…..come with me.”

Bo Jiao asked knowingly, “Where are we going?”

“……”

Bo Wang tried his best to hint with his eyes toward Bo Yueming and Pei YI. “Don’t pretend to be confused when you understand. Hurry up.”

Bo Jaio teased, “You used to be so fierce. Why have you become more restrained recently?”

Despite her words, she still picked up a glass of red wine and said, “Let’s go, I’ll accompany you there.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Min stopped them. “Wait a minute, where are you two siblings going? You’re not allowed to go!”

She sent a covert glance in the direction of Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, and there was a trace of resentfulness in her tone. “What kind of toast are you going to give to them? This family practically belongs to them, and you two are still rushing…..”’

“Xue Min.”

The sound of scolding came at once.

Xue Min froze, then turned around. Facing Bo Peizhi’s eyes that were still sharp enough to see everything, she gave an awkward smile. “Mom.”

Bo Peizhi gave the two siblings a look of gentle approval. “You can do whatever you like. Grandma supports you.”

That said, her eyes darkened a bit and she said commandingly, “Xue Min, come with me. I have something to talk to you about.”

“……”

Xue Min clenched her hands nervously, but could only follow.

Bo Jiao and Bo Wang watched this scene happen, but didn’t stop it. Instead, they continued on with their previous intentions.

The two siblings walked up to Bo Yueming and Pei Yi. The former took the lead and called, “Brother, Pei Yi, I would like to toast to the two of you.”

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi exchanged glances and raised their glasses in a dignified manner.

Bo Wang moved like a turtle, following his sister uncomfortably. He stammered, “U-um.”

“I used to be ignorant. I-I apologize to you. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was a little surprised by Bo Wang’s proactiveness, and stared at the scene before him with great interest—

The young master from a wealthy family who was unbridled and arrogant in the past was now blushing from his neck to his ears. It was really a novel situation.

Perhaps sensing Pei Yi’s gaze, Bo Wang gripped the wine glass more anxiously.

He coughed and added an apology for Pei Yi. “The same goes for Pei Yi. I was the one who spoke such nonsense in the past. I’m sorry.”

Bo Jiao suppressed a smile and said, “Brother, Pei Yi, Bo Wang was always pampered by his family while growing up and is slow to understand things. It’s rare for him to have such awareness. You see…..”

Bo Yueming didn’t put on airs, and only touched his wine glass lightly. “The recent project was completed beautifully. From now on, work hard at group headquarters. It is yours, and no one can take it away.”

Somehow, the praise coming from Bo Yueming’s mouth seemed to be of particularly positive significance.

The corners of Bo Wang’s mouth suddenly rose, then went down at once. “Oh.”

This word was flat, as if he was still trying to be aloof and prideful.

After the short drinking session, Bo Wang seemed too embarrassed to stay any longer and casually found a reason to leave in a “fashionable” manner.

It was only that he was walking with the same hands and feet like a robot.

Bo Jiao laughed and turned back gratefully. “Brother, thank you.”

Bo Yueming replied to her, “Don’t speak so politely.”

When Bo Jiao left, Pei Yi asked with a smile, “Director Bo, let me interview you. You’re going to forgive Bo Wang just like that?”

Bo Yueming asked, “What about you? He spoke rudely to you before too. Have you forgiven him?”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows, indifferent. “He’s a little brat, why should I fight with him? Besides, didn’t Inspector teach him a lesson for me?”

Hearing Pei Yi’s remarks, Bo Yueming smiled. “If he’s a little brat, what are you?”

Pei Yi got the implication and retorted, “My mental age must be older than his. Why haven’t you answered me yet?”

“I’m not unforgiving. It’s just that we live under the same roof, and it’s better to have less estrangement and hatred.”

Bo Yueming spoke the truth, taking Old Mrs. Bo into consideration. “It is enough that things happened once with the main branch and Bo Guancheng. I don’t want Grandma to be sad again.”

To be a little more realistic, Old Mrs. Bo was already at this age.

Bo Yueming only hoped that she could spend her old age in peace and joy, instead of worrying about the constant disputes between her children and grandchildren.

Pei Yi understood his lover’s views, and gently held his hand. “Actually, regarding the incident when he took the initiative to apologize just now, I think Bo Wang’s current situation seems to be…..not particularly bad?”

In any case, it was much better than his previous behavior of looking at people with his nostrils turned upward.

Bo Yueming agreed with a sigh. “We still need to believe in Grandma’s perception of people. She told me before that Bo Wang needs growth and experience.”

“Even if he can’t achieve great things, he won’t hold back on small things in the future.”

Pei Yi chuckled and took a drink, then turned the topic to someone else. “What about Xue Min? I feel like she’s still dissatisfied with your current position in the company.”

Bo Yueming replied calmly, “Didn’t Grandma call her away just now? It should be taken care of.”

Toward his nominal “mother,” Bo Yueming had no unnecessary feelings. As long as the two parties didn’t interfere with each other, everything would be fine.

What’s more, he had already made preparations and intended to leave the Bo family sooner or later.

Pei Yi didn’t want to blindly meddle in the affairs of others, so he didn’t ask further questions.

Bo Yueming tightened his grip on his hand and said, “You came back a couple of days early. Did you finish your work these past few days? Are you tired? Shall we go home a little early and rest?”

Pei Yi didn’t put on a brave face in front of his lover, and said out of courtesy, “Now? Didn’t Grandma’s birthday party just start not long ago?”

Bo Yueming replied, “Then we’ll stay for another ten minutes. We’ll talk to her before we leave, she won’t disagree.”

Pei Yi nodded his head. “Okay.”

. . . . . . . .

In the exclusive VIP lounge, Old Mrs. Pei sat down calmly with Aunt Song’s support.

Xue Min stood a meter away from the sofa, nervousness surging in her eyes. She used the opportunity provided by her mother-in-law’s “interrogation” to take responsibility for her mistakes.

“Mom, I was negligent in preparing the guest list, but I really didn’t expect that group of people to say such things, ah. I……”

Old Mrs. Bo interrupted her self-reflection. “I didn’t ask you about this.”

Xue Min was about to speak, but stopped.

Old Mrs. Bo signaled with her eyes for Aunt Song beside her to step aside temporarily. She waited until only the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were left in the VIP lounge before she finally spoke.

“A-Min, it’s been more than twenty years, and you still hold a grudge against Bo Yueming for his identity?”

“……”

Xue Min’s breathing froze slightly. She felt that it wasn’t right to tell the truth at the moment, but it was also wrong to tell a lie.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, Old Mrs. Bo took the lead to mention, “Back then, the one who was truly in the wrong was Lihong. He not only harmed Yueming’s biological mother, but he also hurt you, who were innocent, even more.

Hearing the word ‘innocent,’ Xue Min’s eyes showed a touch of emotion. “Mom.”

She was a legitimate daughter raised by a wealthy family. She also had fantasies about love when she was young, hoping to be with one person for the rest of her life.

Bo Lihong had concealed his relationship history abroad before getting married. It was not until after their marriage that such shocking news broke, and Bo Yueming had been hanging around under her nose for so many years!

Xue Min understood that the other party didn’t ask to be born and was equally innocent, but she just couldn’t laugh it off.

Old Mrs. Bo continued, “The reason I valued you back then and favored you as my daughter-in-law was because you were an even-tempered person and a legitimate daughter, and you didn’t have too many twists and turns in your words and actions.”

Even if she had calculating thoughts, they were all written on her face and could not be hidden.

“I know that you have always thought of Yueming as an illegitimate son. You feel that I am too partial toward him, and now I have given him the position of executive director of the group.”

Bo Wang and Bo Jiao, who were also grandchildren, were now under his control. They were both mothers. Old Mrs. Bo could understand Xue Min’s resentfulness. 

Which biological mother wouldn’t prefer her biological children?

“But let me say, there is only one executive director position. Jiaojiao and Xiao Wang are nearly three years younger than Yueming, and have several years less experience than him.”

Old Mrs. Bo bluntly pointed out the bloody facts, “If I handed over the position to one of the siblings now, would they be able to handle it?”

“Or now that Lihui is in prison, should I hand over the position of executive director to Lihong?”

Xuemin was not a stupid person, so she naturally understood the deep meaning in Old Mrs. Bo’s words.

Her husband had continuously acted lazy and unrestrained for so many years, so how could he be capable of taking charge? And the two siblings Bo Jiao and Bo Wang had little experience, so it was likely that the senior shareholders would not be completely convinced.

According to both sentiment and reason, Bo Yueming was indeed the most suitable candidate.

“Mom, I understand what you mean, and I know that my thoughts cannot be put on the table—” Xue Min simply did away with the pretenses and did her best to think about her children.

“I also saw what happened to the main branch family. I, I’m just afraid that Bo Yueming won’t be able to tolerate Jiaojiao and Xiao Wang.”

“Foolish!” Old Mrs. Bo scolded her lightly and gave her the facts. “Yueming had no thoughts toward the group from the beginning. He stayed to work for my sake.”

“Before he temporarily took charge of the group, Yueming made it clear to me that he would stay in this position for a maximum of three years!”

Three years would be enough for Bo Jiao to fully grow into her own person, and enough for Bo Wang to get more training.

When the two siblings were able to take over the group, Bo Yueming would choose to leave.

When Xue Min heard Old Mrs. Bo’s frank words, she couldn’t believe it. “He really said that?”

Old Mrs. Bo replied, “Why would I lie to you? Jiaojiao has the same boldness I did back then. Although Xiao Wang’s temperament mirrors his father’s, it is not impossible for him to be honed.”

Who could accomplish great things without growing and being tested?

“As a mother, you can’t be so fussy, lest it affect the relationships between your children again. Do you want what happened to the main branch family to happen to you?”

Xue Min shook her head.

She knew Old Mrs. Bo’s temperament. There was no reason for her to lie to her at this time.

“Even if you only stop for three years, it will be enough. By then, you will naturally understand the weight of what I have said today.”

As Old Mrs. Bo spoke, she took off the bracelet on her wrist and handed it to Xue Min.

Xue Min was taken aback. “Mom, what is this bracelet?”

Old Mrs. Bo motioned, “What my mother left for me back then is now in your hands. Keep it!”

She had originally thought that since she had two daughters-in-law, she couldn’t favor one over the other, so she kept the bracelet hidden and didn’t take it out.

But now that her eldest son and grandson were in prison, and the eldest daughter-in-law had filed for divorce and returned to her parents’ home, there was no longer anything to worry about.

Xue Min understood the weight this bracelet represented, and was moved. She was silent for a long moment before finally acquiescing to Old Mrs. Bo’s good intentions.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a rare heart-to-heart talk for a while. It wasn’t until Bo Yueming came to the lounge and knocked on the door that they stopped talking.

Xue Min thought about the guests who were still in the banquet hall and took the initiative to stand up, saying that she would go over to entertain them first.

When she passed by Bo Yueming, she paused slightly, but still left without saying anything.

Old Mrs. Bo looked at Bo Yueming. “What is it?”

Bo Yueming said frankly, “Grandma, Pei Yi has been rushing back to the capital these past two days. He looks a little tired. I want to take him back first, and then I can return to accompany you later?”

“It’s fine. If you go back and forth, you’ll be tired too.”

Old Mrs. Bo waved her hand with a hint of understanding from one with experience. “As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. You just go home and don’t worry about me.”

Pei Yi’s ability to return for her birthday party was enough to show filial piety.

Bo Yueming didn’t pretend to be polite. “Then, Grandma, I’ll leave first? Pei Yi is still waiting for me.”

Old Mrs. Bo recalled Pei Yi’s remarks in the rest area not long before, and her eyes showed appreciation. “Yueming, you two take care of each other. No one will be confused in the future!”

Bo Yueming accepted her advice and said, “En, I understand.”

. . . . . . . .

After receiving permission, Bo Yueming walked back quickly. Pei Yi was waiting at the end of the corridor. “Er-ge, how did it go?”

Bo Yueming held his hand firmly again. “How else could it go? Grandma agreed to let me take you home to rest first.”

Pei Yi swung his arm lightly. “Did you meet Xue Min just now?”

Bo Yueming replied, “Yes, she happened to be going out when I went in. Why?”

The two entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

Pei Yi watched the elevator door close and said curiously, “I don’t know what Grandma said to Xue Min, but she came up to me just now and said—”

He relayed exactly what Xue Min had told him, “If we’re free next Saturday, she would like to invite us to have dinner together at home.”

“Er-ge, do you want to go?”

Bo Yueming knew that Xue Min’s change of attitude was definitely the result of Old Mrs. Bo’s persuasion, but he still had a small obstacle in his heart.

“It’s still a few days away, let’s talk about it then.”

“Okay.”

. . . . . . . .

Ding-dong.

The elevator door opened.

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi held hands and walked a few steps outside, then ran into a figure who looked back at them in a panic—

Bo Lihong hadn’t been in the banquet hall, and was coming back from who knew where. Their eyes met. There was a very unnatural nervousness on his face, as well as a hint of inexplicable stiffness.

Although they were father and son by blood, the relationship between Bo Lihong and Bo Yueming was equivalent to nothing, and they didn’t talk much when they met.

Bo Yueming noticed Bo Lihong’s lack of comportment and frowned slightly.

Before he could figure out the reason, Bo Lihong quickly got into the elevator and closed the door.

Pei Yi was surprised. “Er-ge, what’s wrong with him?”

Bo Yueming shook his head and walked out with his lover. “I don’t know. Don’t worry about it.”

Pei Yi still felt that Bo Lihong’s behavior was strange, and couldn’t help but look back at the closed elevator.

Suddenly, the sound of heels tapping on the floor approached.

Pei Yi felt Bo Yueming, who was leading him, stop walking. Then his lover inexplicably squeezed his hand until it hurt.

“…….”

Pei Yi was startled for a moment. He looked down at Bo Yueming’s hand, where his veins were suddenly protruding. “Er-ge?”

At the same time, a cry of disbelief sounded. “Ryan?”

Ryan?

Pei Yi heard this relatively unfamiliar foreign name, but before he could raise his head to see the person in front of him, Bo Yueming actually turned around and led him back.

Pei Yi’s innate intuition caused him to pull Bo Yueming to a stop. “Er-ge, wait!”

He turned sideways to look and met the face of the visitor for the first time, as well as a pair of—

Dark blue misty eyes that were exactly the same as Bo Yueming’s.

---

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Chapter Ninety-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred

Rong Shiming was startled. He saw the sharp arrow coming, and no matter how brave he was, he instinctively dodged.

At this moment, the fruit on his arm slipped off.

The sharp arrow also pierce the position where his arm was originally held flat. Although it avoided any vitals, it still cut his clothes and drew some blood.

If he hadn’t dodged, his arm would have been pierced at that moment. Rong Shiming’s expression changed greatly. He held his arm as his whole body shook uncontrollably. This was the first time he had been hurt by an arrow.

The onlookers around couldn’t help but exclaim. Even the First Princess stood up and called for the doctor to bandage him, then immediately held the leader of the guards accountable.

The guard was aggrieved and knelt down, crying out: “Your Highness, this servant is unjustly accused. Young Master Liu just asked General Huo to look at this servant. This servant only made a mistake after being disturbed. This servant……”

Rong Shiming was assisted back. When he heard this, his pale face turned red with anger. He was about to rush toward Liu Zhenqing, but when he saw the look on Huo Fenglie beside him, he froze.

“Young Master Liu, please explain!” The First Princess said angrily.

Liu Zhenqing said with an innocent expression: “I wanted General Huo to take a look at the guard’s shooting method. The distance was so close, the force was not strong, and he was very accurate. There must be something worth learning from, so I asked General Huo to take a look.”

Huo Fenglie answered directly: “I saw. There was nothing worth learning from.”

These words were so irritating that both the First Princess and Rong Shiming began to breathe heavily.

Bai Su taunted: “You can’t use this ridiculous excuse because you’re afraid of losing. If no one is allowed to watch your side shoot arrows, then everyone should stop watching. Is it possible that General Huo’s eyes can still hurt people with their internal strength?”

“If you think it’s unfair, then why don’t you send someone to watch General Huo later? It’s okay with me.”

Liu Zhenqing looked like a little white flower enduring a grievance, making it so that the First Princess could no longer pursue the case. She could only admit defeat.

“All right, I want to see how many General Huo and the young master can make!”

Liu Zhenqing saluted Huo Fenglie, and then was crowded by the two cousins on the way to the tree. The two of them chattered endlessly. After all, they still thought Liu Zhenqing would be timid, but now that he only needed to stick two, the pressure had been reduced by a lot.

The servant next to him was trying to help place the fruits. Liu Zhenqing would choose a position and then adjust his posture, fiddling endlessly. He looked completely uneasy and distrustful.

“It seems that Young Master Liu is still frightened, but I believe that the heavens are on his side, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten so lucky just now,” Bai Su said, standing next to Huo Fenglie with a smile.

“Lucky?” Huo Fenglie murmured, weighing the bow and arrow in his hands.

“Wasn’t it good luck, ah? I had originally thought you should scare Rong Shiming, but I didn’t foresee that the guard would be even more disturbed. Why didn’t I think of this? If Young Master Liu hadn’t been anxious and wanted you to learn from the guard, there wouldn’t have been such a coincidence,” Bai Su said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Huo Fenglie didn’t respond. He suddenly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and the sound of the bowstring tightening shocked everyone’s nerves. The arrow flashed with a cold light as it aimed at Liu Zhenqing, who had finally finished standing in position.

Liu Zhenqing glanced out of the corner of his eye and instinctively wanted to shout that he wasn’t ready yet, but noticed something strange in his surroundings.

That instant, there was a powerful and imposing aura. The two brothers standing next to Liu Zhenqing took a step back speechlessly, and the people around him couldn’t help but suck in a breath and go quiet.

How frightening it was when Huo Fenglie picked up a weapon was something that Liu Zhenqing simply could not understand.

He was the God of War who commanded an army of millions, the master of unfathomable martial arts. Countless lives had been lost under his blade, and the evil aura of violent battle followed him like a shadow, unable to be restrained. A veteran of a hundred battles would be afraid, much less a wealthy and well-fed young master in the capital.

The onlookers could not help but move back. Some wondered if, as the one being targeted, Liu Zhenqing would regret it and cry in the next second.

“G-General Huo, the fruit hasn’t been placed yet,” Liu Zhenqing said in a trembling tone, continuing his performance.

Ten meters away, he couldn’t see his expression clearly, but he knew that Huo Fenglie’s posture hadn’t changed.

“Adapt in advance.” Huo Fenglie’s cold voice came on the wind.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched.

The fruit was placed, and the servant stepped away. 

Before Liu Zhenqing could say anything, there was a whoosh like a thunderclap. The fruit on his head was shattered to pieces, the arrow stuck right above Liu Zhenqing’s head.

The people around him immediately exclaimed. Rong Shiming stood up at once and gave this scene a fierce look.

Liu Zhenqing froze and looked at Huo Fenglie with displeasure. This kid didn’t do it on purpose, right? But he had seen the arrow move to point right into Liu Zhenqing’s line of sight, and in that moment, it had seemed that the target was not the fruit, but Liu Zhenqing himself.

Liu Zhenqing put on a show and said with difficulty: “Y….you scared me to death. General Huo, could you please say something before acting?”

“The effect is better if you’re surprised. Young Master Liu’s cooperation just now was adequate,” Huo Fenglie said lightly.

Liu Zhenqing really wanted to scold Er-gou, and thought he might have done it on purpose. This sounded reasonable, but once it started, what about the second and third arrows? A timid person would be scared to death, always thinking about the next arrow.

Then, the second arrow was shot unexpectedly, and a fruit fell to the ground again.

It was that simple…..a draw.

When the others realized this, they finally dared to shout.

The two members of the Liu family were so excited that they danced in the audience area, and the breath hanging in their throats could finally be exhaled.

At this time, Rong Shiming’s face was completely dark. He hadn’t foreseen that Liu Zhenqing would really not move at all, and thought that it wasn’t that Liu Zhenqing was brave, but that Huo Fenglie’s move was effective. Because Liu Zhenqing had looked frightened just now.

Damn it, if that third arrow hit, he would lose. How could the dignified cousin of a princess be humiliated and punished? Absolutely not.

He saw that Huo Fenglie had fully drawn his bowstring, and would shoot the arrow at any time.

“General Huo, you really want to help the Liu family.” Rong Shiming thoroughly panicked, and spoke out to stop him at once. The attempt to provoke Huo Fenglie was his dying struggle.

Huo Fenglie glanced at Rong Shiming. He didn’t look like someone who would be shaken by words. Rong Shiming’s pupils quivered, and he immediately looked toward the First Princess for help.

“General Huo, it is already a draw. Will the third arrow still hit?” The First Princess no longer cared about the others, and openly threatened, “It seems that General Huo dislikes my cousin.”

If you find a way to spare others, you should spare them. It was time to take a step back.

But Huo Fenglie said directly: “I really dislike him.”

The First Princess’s breathing stalled. She instantly realized that Rong Shiming had provoked Huo Fenglie’s anger before, and the general had not yet forgotten it.

The First Princess could only glance toward Liu Zhenqing in the distance. Just as she was about to speak, Huo Fenglie cut in: “It’s useless to speak to him. Your Highness, it is better to watch the competition quietly.”

Having said this, he raised his bow to shoot the last arrow.

Bai Su knew that Huo Fenglie wouldn’t give the other party a chance. Moreover, it was tantamount to transferring their possible resentment from the Liu family onto himself. It was him, Huo Fenglie, who wanted Rong Shiming to be punished, and it had nothing to do with Liu Zhenqing.

But in this sure-win situation, Liu Zhenqing in the distance seemed unable to withstand this unforeseen pressure any longer. The moment the feathered arrow flew out, he whimpered, ah, and his body trembled.

The fruit swayed on his arm, and when it was about to slip off, Liu Zhenqing’s movements also became disordered as he tried to lift his arm to steady it. This was very dangerous, because Huo Fenglie had already taken aim. If he moved like this and the original trajectory of the arrow remained unchanged, not only would it miss the fruit, but it would also hit Liu Zhenqing’s arm.

Bai Su saw this and sucked in a cold breath.

Everyone also lamented that Liu Zhenqing had failed to live up to expectations, and didn’t dare watch the scene of Liu Zhenqing about to be hit by an arrow.

The First Princess and Rong Shiming were naturally overjoyed when they saw this.

It was just that no one’s eyes were fast enough to follow Huo Fenglie’s movements. Of course, they didn’t see that at the critical moment when Liu Zhenqing moved his arm, the tail end of the arrow was just about to leave the end of the bow. In an instant, Huo Fenglie’s sword-like eyebrows jumped, and his fingers nearly invisibly moved the departing arrow, which instantly changed its trajectory.

With a hiss, the arrow stabbed firmly into the fruit and stuck into the trunk of the tree.

Everyone was in disbelief as they looked at this position that was clearly higher than normal.

Could it be that General Huo made a mistake, and when the other person also made a mistake, he just…..hit the target?

What a coincidence, ah!

Everyone exclaimed at this miracle, and the First Princess and Rong Shiming’s expressions changed drastically at this moment. They were in a towering rage.

Although Liu Zhenqing was also stunned, he also fell to the ground in a rather embarrassing manner, his head lowered as if in great fright.

Bai Su frowned and looked at Huo Fenglie, saying: “You actually made it, and no one was hurt.”

“En.” At this time, Huo Fenglie had turned around and set down his bow and arrows. He didn’t seem to care much about the scene in the distance. Such indifference seemed a  bit absent-minded, lacking the concentration from when he was aiming at someone just now.

Bai Su raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. He felt that Huo Fenglie had suddenly lost his spirit.

And at the moment, Liu Zhenqing was being supported by his two younger cousins. The corners of his mouth raised slightly at an angle that no one could see, and when he raised his eyes, he saw Huo Fenglie’s back in the distance. 

Er-gou, no matter what you’re thinking, you’re still unskilled when going up against your gege.

That’s right, Liu Zhenqing deliberately let Huo Fenglie shoot him in order to take his attention off him. After all, Huo Fenglie’s abnormality put him on guard. Simply acting like a coward wasn’t enough. He had to pay the ultimate price.

The plan had already been made when Liu Zhenqing asked Rong Shiming what would happen in the event of a draw.

He must make sure that he didn’t lose, while also ensuring that Huo Fenglie believed that he and “Liu Zhenqing” had opposite personalities.

The only way was to lose a round to Rong Shiming. Even if the little trick he used to scare the guard aroused suspicion, it didn’t matter.

As long as he lost a round, and at the cost of possible injury, it would definitely make Huo Fenglie lose interest, and he would not suspect anything. And with a draw, there would be no need for humiliation. It was the perfect solution to the crisis.

But he didn’t expect Huo Fenglie to be so capable. Not only did he not hurt him, but he also allowed him to win. In terms of skill, perhaps Huo Fenglie had surpassed his older brother. But as long as Huo Fenglie no longer suspected him, his goal was achieved.

“We need to make him pay up!” The third cousin said excitedly. 

“I don’t think it’s appropriate. How about turning hostility into friendship?” The third cousin couldn’t help but say.

“Why? Just now, they bullied us with disregard for the Liu family’s face. It’s not easy…..”

“Do you really want to offend the First Princess?!”

The third cousin shut the second cousin up with just one sentence. The two of them glanced at Liu Zhenqing as they spoke. Although they disdained Liu Zhenqing before, now that the game had been won by him and Huo Fenglie, they had to listen to the leader’s words.

“I think…..it may not be our turn to consider this matter.” Liu Zhenqing motioned for the two of them to look ahead. Sure enough, they saw the already furious Rong Shiming rush in front of Huo Fenglie and shout.

“Huo Fenglie, are you crazy? You’re targeting me like this!?”

As soon as these words fell, everyone around stopped talking and didn’t dare to get close. No one had the courage to dissuade Rong Shiming. The First Princess looked on with a gloomy face, and it seemed as if she wanted to support Rong Shiming.

Huo Fenglie was already a head taller than Rong Shiming, but now he looked down at him condescendingly, as if he was a joke.

“Young Master Rong, as you said before, if one makes a bet, they must accept defeat. Everyone played fair according to your wishes. Don’t be a sore loser.” Bai Su stepped forward and said: “Moreover, Young Master Rong, can you call General Huo by his name like this? Who do you think you are? You’re only a commoner, and you don’t even have an official position. I don’t know who taught you discipline!”

Rong Shiming pushed Bai Su away and shouted as if he had lost his mind: “Huo Fenglie, you are so protective of the treacherous minister’s kinsmen, people not in the know would wonder what your relationship was with Liu Zhenqing! Weren’t you enemies? Have you forgotten your brother’s blood feud?”

Hearing this, Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed slightly as he approached. When he glanced at Huo Fenglie again, the murderous look on his face was already visible to the naked eye.

“Young Master Rong, watch your words! The Emperor has already said that this Liu is not the other Liu. If you continue talking about this, you are ignoring the Imperial decree!” Liu Zhenqing said quickly: “It’s only a game, no big deal. The bet was just for fun, so let’s let it go!”

He couldn’t let this fool provoke Huo Fenglie anymore. It would be terrible if he got implicated.

But now, it was not a matter of following through with the punishment or not. Rong Shiming’s eyes were a murderous red, and he shouted loudly: “Bah! Huo Fenglie, have you forgotten that Liu Zhenqing wanted to take away your sister-in-law by force? He killed your brother, implicated the Huo family army, and brought disaster to the entire Zhou Dynasty. If you were a man, you wouldn’t help his fellow clansmen. Or are you simply having an affair with Liu Xiaozhu and protecting your little lover!”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression suddenly shifted. Although he had long heard about it, he really didn’t know why the relationship between the three of them had been arranged like this. He felt that Er-gou was often by their side at that time, and even though he was young, he should understand the relationships between them as an adult. But after so many years, his reputation had been ruined. For Er-gou, who hated him so much that he dug up his grave, how would he re-examine what he saw and heard back then?

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare think about it, and didn’t even want to speculate. Even at this moment, he couldn’t look Huo Fenglie in the face.

Rong Shiming’s words were so shocking that everyone around him became nervous, not to mention how Huo Fenglie felt.

“If your brother and those who died in vain at the hand of Liu Zhenqing knew about this, they would definitely feel betrayed by your forgetfulness…..ah!”

A clang was accompanied by a flash of cold light and a cry. Everyone gasped and saw the tip of the dark Chunjun sword dangerously close to Rong Shiming’s throat. The sharp blade had pierced the skin, and blood flowed down instantly.

“Who do you think you are! Are you worthy of mentioning them!”

The sound was like a sword, murderous and bone-piercing. The emotion in his voice made clear that Huo Fenglie was thoroughly angry and would take Rong Shiming’s life in the next second. 

In an instant, the guards of the First Princess’s palace surrounded him and the situation became fraught. The already frightened Rong Shiming fell to his knees, but the sword did not move away from his neck. “How can General Huo kill people indiscriminately! I want to appeal to His Majesty!” The First Princess knew that something very bad was about to happen and called out quickly.

Bai Su was also anxious. “Zhanyuan, calm down. Don’t forget the Emperor…..” Bai Su wanted to remind him that since the Emperor was investigating the Imperial Examination fraud, Rong Shiming was destined to have no good things in the future, so why bother to take things into his own hands and let those old officials get a handle on him? It wasn’t worth it.

But this did not diminish Huo Fenglie’s anger, and he was about to take action.

Liu Zhenqing was worried too. He didn’t want to cause trouble for Er-gou, ah! But at the moment, he didn’t know what to say to stop him without exposing himself, so he could only panic and choose another way: “General, your sword is for killing enemies, not this kind of person. Don’t dirty your sword!”

He remembered that in the past, Huo Fenglie loved his sword very much, and said that killing scoundrels was not worthy of his sword.

But after saying this, Liu Zhenqing regretted wasting precious time. How could he care about a sword when he was so angry, ah! He had simply picked the most useless reason.

But as soon as these words came out, Huo Fenglie froze.

At last, he sheathed his sword and said coldly: “You are indeed not worthy of my sword!”

Just when everyone had breathed a sigh of relief and thought the crisis was over, Huo Fenglie took the bow next to him with his backhand, and with a sudden swing, smashed Rong Shiming in the face. In an instant, the bow shattered to pieces, and with a shrill scream, Rong Shiming spat out half of his teeth with a mouthful of blood. The bridge of his nose was also directly broken. The screams resounded throughout the princess’s residence as he lay down on the ground, writhing in pain. 

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Chapter Twenty-Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Six

In order to preserve his own life, Chi Teng had revealed almost everything he knew about the Baifu Sect during this period, and finally had two stable meals. But now he heard that Mu Zhe had tricked and kidnapped Ku You, and complained incessantly for some time.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell, but he truly didn’t know Mu Zhe’s hiding place. The other party was extremely cunning and had lairs everywhere in the southwest. It was hard to find him at normal times, but wasn’t he hiding without a trace now?

“In order not to reveal his whereabouts, Mu Zhe rarely sends people to the jade quarries. He mostly uses green harriers to send messages,” Chi Teng said. “He personally tamed a flock of harriers, which are smarter than ordinary homing pigeons. They have green feathers and red eyes, they are extremely ferocious, and they fly as fast as lightning.”

Liang Shu looked at him: “How much are you worth to Mu Zhe?”

“……Me?” Beads of sweat broke out on Chi Teng’s forehead. He knew that he was useless to Mu Zhe, and was far from enough to exchange for Ku You. What’s more, the Baifu Sect’s methods of dealing with traitors had always been cruel. Thinking of this, he was terrified and said, “Mu Zhe has always regarded everyone as ants. He has devoted his life to creating gods, so he regards himself as a god.”

Believers frantically pursued the Baifu Buddha Mother, and Mu Zhe also developed a supreme mentality of looking down on all living beings.

It was hard to say whether Dayan’s emperor was an ant in Mu Zhe’s eyes at this time, but at least one thing was certain: he thought he was more qualified to sit in a high position and govern all things.

Cheng Suyue gave a covert “pei.” What an arrogant lunatic, hiding in the gutter.

“Your Highness!” There was the sudden sound of hoofbeats outside. “A strange-looking green harrier flew outside the camp with a letter tied to its leg!”

The totem of the Baifu Sect was stamped with wax. After taking it apart, it turned out to be Mu Zhe’s request for an exchange.

Gao Lin leaned his head over to take a look, and his eyes almost popped out of his skull: “Mu Zhe is actually insane. He didn’t mention any actual conditions for exchanging people. The listed gold and silver alone could stretch nearly a hundred carriages, not to mention the mountains of gems and pearls. Does he have any misunderstanding about Ku You’s worth?”

Although the commander of the southwest garrison was valuable, he was not valuable enough to empty half of the national treasury. He said: “Demanding an exorbitant price like this, isn’t he still waiting for us to haggle?”

Chi Teng plucked up the courage to interject: “Perhaps…..perhaps he wants the prince to retrieve his lost property for him.”

Gao Lin raised his eyes and asked in surprise: “Lost property. Are you telling me that the treasures hidden in the dense forest are really that large in quantity?”

“I don’t know the specific amount, but based on Mu Zhe’s reaction at that time, he should have lost more than half his property,” Chi Teng said. “He knows I’m here, and he knows I’m able to understand the purpose behind the ransom note. Maybe there really is that much.”

Liu Xianche thought to himself, first they used the Ghost Boys to force them once, and then they used Commander Ku to force them a second time. It seemed that the theft of his property was truly a thorn in Mu Zhe’s heart. Looking at Liang Shu, he saw that the other’s brow was slightly furrowed, as if he was pondering Chi Teng’s words, so he said: “Your Highness, do you intend to agree to Mu Zhe’s request?”

Liang Shu said: “This would not be harmful to us.”

By agreeing, they could firstly buy some time temporarily for Ku You, and secondly, the huge amount of wealth in the forest was the common people’s wealth that the evil cult had plundered for many years. There was no reason for it to be returned to Mu Zhe, and also no reason for it to be given to some fantastical jungle tribe. After all, there was a need for money everywhere in Dayan.

Previously, he had just thought it was a few dozen boxes of gold and silver, so he didn’t pay much attention to it. But looking at the request issued by Mu Zhe, no matter how he calculated it, it seemed that he must pay attention now.

Gao Lin and Cheng Suyue were not surprised by this, and knew that the prince would definitely want to steal the money.

But a new question arose: how would they steal the money? Mu Zhe, an old zombie who had been wandering around the forest miasma all day long, couldn’t compete with that mysterious tribe. It could only be more troublesome for ordinary people. They couldn’t really send in the army to burn the mountain and clear the forests indiscriminately, could they?

Everyone was unsure as to what decision Liang Shu would make in the end.

“All things have spirits,” Liu Xian’an said during lunch. “It is not an easy thing to kill them all.”

Liang Shu pulled his thoughts back and knocked on the other’s head: “What are you thinking about? How could I really go and burn the mountain?”

Liu Xian’an said “En,” and asked: “Then what are your plans?”

“I was thinking about the batch of wind wings you made when we attacked Huang Wangxiang’s rebels.” Liang Shu said: “If they can be made larger, a little easier to control, and fly a hundred or a thousand li in the wind, we could find the specific location of the jungle tribe at high altitude.”

It was a good idea. Liu Xian’an said: “But the wind wings can’t fly hundreds or thousands of li. Perhaps people in the future will be able to fly such a distance, but we certainly can’t right now.”

“It’s just something I thought about.” Liang Shu picked up his chopsticks for him. “Okay, eat your meal first.”

“But we can improve the wind wings to make them fly higher,” Liu Xian’an said. “As long as you fly high enough, you can see farther.”

“What if it gets blown away by the wind?”

“Can it be fixed in place with a rope?”

Liu Xian’an didn’t waste any time, and didn’t even eat well. He just wiped his mouth and ran to the study to draw diagrams. Liu Xianche was also in the study. Because his patient had been kidnapped, he was in a very gloomy mood and seemed to be enveloped in thunder and lightning. From time to time, there would be a ripping sound. He asked his little brother: “Why are you running?”

“I want to recreate a kind of wind wing.” Liu Xian’an gestured, “Like a kite. Two people can sit on it.”

Liu Xianche already knew that he had used wind wings to assist Liang Shu in attacking a city, so he didn’t rebuke this idea that sounded like a daydream, but took the initiative to clear half the table and watch his brother draw diagrams. The sun outside the window gradually disappeared. A-Ning went into the room and lit a lamp. Liu Xian’an rubbed his sore eyes, took a refreshing pill into his mouth, and continued to draw.

A-Ning said: “Young Master, please rest for a while.”

“I must hurry,” Liu Xian’an said. “Before the fourth day of the fourth month.”

“What is the significance of the fourth day of the fourth month?”

“That’s what is written on the stone wall,” Liu Xian’an said. “The ‘immortals’ who founded the Valley of Ten Faces descended to earth on the fourth day of the fourth month. According to the records, every year on this day, the forest will be glorious and the white fog will dissipate. It sounds like the sun will shine brightly and the miasma will be reduced, so our vision will be the clearest.”

“But there are only a few days left until the fourth day of the fourth month.”

“That is why I must hurry.”

It was then that First Young Master Liu discovered that when his lazy brother became diligent, he was no different from every other disciple in Baihe Mountain Village. With a cloth apron hanging on his chest, he sometimes lay at the table writing and drawing, and sometimes ran to the courtyard to guide the craftsmen. He forgot to sleep and eat, and often when he returned to his room in the middle of the night, his entire body was shaking.

Liu Xianche could only advise: “Don’t get too tired.”

Liu Xian’an raised his head and looked at the prototype of the wind wing in mid-air. The words he spoke were casual and perfunctory, and his appearance was exactly the same as when he would lay in the waterside pavilion.

“Get up and move.”

“En, en.”

“Go back to sleep.”

“En, en.”

It could be seen that he suffered the ruler less.

The thirty-six wind wings were finally completed on time, and were arranged neatly along the edge of the dense, maze-like forest.

On the fourth day of the fourth month, Liu Xianche also boarded a wind wing. He held a telescope in his hand and was accompanied by an Imperial guard. His boy servant eyed the huge wooden frame and felt very unsure, whispering to his young master that he should wait below. Liu Xianche didn’t listen. He tightened the belt around his waist and carefully studied the telescope’s use. Another boy pulled his companion aside and criticized: “The Second Young Master made this with his own hands. How could the First Young Master not sit on it? You really don’t get it.”

In addition to Liu Xianche, Gao Lin, Cheng Suyue, Chang Xiaoqiu, and others also rode on the wind wings. Liang Shu adjusted the telescope and handed it to Liu Xian’an: “Just sit still.”

Second Young Master Liu was not afraid. After all, he was a person who could fly up to 90,000 li without any problem, and this wind wing was still far away from that. As the mountain wind grew stronger and stronger, the wind wings gradually swelled and finally staggered off the ground!

“Cough, cough!” Chang Xiaoqiu was choked by the wind and coughed. Under the dazzling sunshine and strong wind, he could hardly open his eyes. It took him a long time to adapt, and then he could barely open them a crack.

The steel cable was stretched to its longest position, and the wind wing stopped at its highest point. He glanced down, and his legs and feet suddenly became weak, his heart beating like a drum.

The soldier to the side had no time to pay attention to him, and concentrated on observing carefully with the telescope. Chang Xiaoqiu also closed his eyes and calmed down, imitating him by looking into the distance.

The forest was lush and green.

There was nothing unusual at first, just large tracts of undulating forest land with no trace of human life. But as the miasma of white fog was gradually blown away, the sun became stronger and stronger. At noon, a golden color suddenly appeared deep in the dense forest. It reflected back in a dazzling manner, as if gold and gems were scattered all over the ground.

Gao Lin was stunned, wondering if he had also been infected with Ku You’s eye disease.

On another wind wing, Cheng Suyue was also shocked. She had thought that the ghost story carved on the stone wall was just a poor scholar’s fantasy. Was there really so much luxury? Even if Mu Zhe’s wealth was really stolen, they wouldn’t just spread it carelessly on the ground.

Liu Xian’an looked at it carefully with the telescope and said: “That’s a lot of money.”

Among the group of people, the only one who didn’t react was Liu Xianche. Due to the angle, the mountain of gold couldn’t be seen in this direction, but he could hear a sharp signal flare. It was agreed upon in advance that if there was a discovery, they would proceed to the second step of the plan.

The Imperial guard beside Liu Xianche said happily: “It seems that the prince and the others have found traces of the jungle tribe!”

The signal flare trailed a long tail of sound behind it and disappeared into the clouds. The people on the other wind wings also became busy at once. They took out their suonas from their waists and, facing the thousands of li of sky, they sucked in their breaths and began to blow. From “A Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix” to “Carrying the Sedan Chair,” they played as loudly as they wanted. This was the most professional gong and drum troupe in the village. Gao Lin had specially picked them up from Old Lady Zhou…..or Zhang. In short, he specially picked them up from someone else’s birthday party.

Along with the sound of the sonorous music, several huge ventilated curtains were also opened one after another. On them were big characters written by Second Young Master Liu himself. Joined together, they formed the condition set by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang – come out and talk within three days.

It was difficult to say how the jungle tribe felt after this combination of punches, but the soldiers in the military camp and the villagers in the Valley of Ten Faces were truly shocked by this combat strategy — it should be called a combat strategy, but it was so unique. It had a comprehensive effect that was fantastical, majestic, earthly, divine, and amusing. In any case, no one had ever thought that a battle could be fought like this.

Liu Xian’an also thought it was quite fun, and said: “Only the prince could come up with such a method.”

Liang Shu put an arm around his shoulders: “Aren’t I amazing?”

“Possibly.”

“How in the world is it still ‘possibly?’”

“It is unknown whether the people in the forest will come out.”

“They will definitely come out.”

Now that their location had been exposed, it would be much easier for the garrison to enter the forest rather than searching blindly before. Even if there was miasma, it may not be impossible to reach into the depths. After all, the difference in difficulty between cutting down one tree and cutting down ten thousand acres of forest was obvious.

“A Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix” played all afternoon. It wasn’t until sunset when the white fog gathered again that the people below pulled the wind wings back.

As soon as Liu Xianche landed, he rode a horse to another wind wing and asked what was going on in the forest.

“There really is a mountain of gold in the forest.” Gao Lin described, “The entire land was shining. I looked at it all afternoon, and now my eyes are full of money.”

Liu Xianche asked: “You’re saying they used gold to pave the ground?”

“Yes, ah.” Gao Lin said, “When we flew high, we could see a huge area.”

Now that the message had been given, the next step was to wait and see if there was a reply within three days. And Liang Shu did not squander these three days. Each day, he ordered people to hold up big characters and shout, no matter whether it could be seen clearly through the white fog. In any case, writing them didn’t cost much, and the suona team was of high quality and low price.

At the same time, he also drew a route on the map. If there was no movement in the forest, the garrison would begin to attack in the early morning of the fourth day. Logging carts and gunpowder were continuously transported, and the entire camp was filled with the pungent scent of sulfur.

Liu Xian’an sneezed a series of times, covered his nose with a cloth, and continued to lie on the table and study the map. After studying it for a while, he looked up at the person standing by the window: “Da-ge, you’ve been standing there a long time. Are you worried about Commander Ku?”

“I’m thinking about something else.” Liu Xianche considered for a moment and decided to tell his little brother. “Five years ago, I went to the Chuqiu City free clinic, where I met a group of young men and women. They were personable and good-looking, and came to me with a child in their arms.”

The child cried without stopping. It was covered in rashes all over its body, had a high fever, and vomited yellow liquid. The symptoms looked frightening. Other doctors didn’t dare to take them in, for fear of contracting the plague, and some even went to the government office to drive these outsiders away. In the end, Liu Xianche personally came forward and insisted on keeping them in the hospital.

“I later cured the child, and his relatives sent a whole box of treasures worth more than ten thousand gold.”

Liu Xianche naturally refused to accept it, and only took two round jade pieces as payment for his treatment. But the other party was adamant, and even grabbed a handful of pearls from the little baby and threw them into the arms of the miracle doctor, saying: “We have a lot of these things in our home. They are all spread on the forest floor. Take them!”

The adults quickly took the little baby away, and Liu Xianche didn’t take these words to heart. He still had many things to do, so he only left his medicine boy to deal with the other party. In the end, he was left with a dozen silver ingots that he donated to the Chuqiu City free clinic.

Liu Xianche asked: “Could it be them?”

Liu Xian’an held his elder brother’s hand: “It’s possible. If it’s really them, then they will be very grateful to Da-ge.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Liu Xianche said. “After I cured the child, they wanted me to marry.”

Liu Xian’an’s eyelid twitched, but he felt that this was normal. Even though his elder brother always beat him, he didn’t beat others. He was good-looking, had good medical skills, came from a good family, and had a good education. Naturally, he was more popular than even the lieutenant general.

Of course Liu Xianche didn’t agree. He was annoyed, and felt that this group of people was simply incomprehensible, so he took a carriage and left that night.

Liu Xian’an put forth a bold hypothesis based on the large pile of idle books he had read. It is possible that when they put forward negotiation conditions at this time, they will exchange Da-ge for the mountain of gold and take him away to be married.

As a result, he successfully earned three rulers for himself. It hurt for a long time, and he was very depressed.

A-Ning commented: “The beating you received this time was not unfair at all.”

Liu Xian’an ignored him, wrapping himself in a quilt and turning his back toward him. Alas, everyone in the world is too dense. They can’t talk to me or listen to me.

A-Ning grabbed the quilt with both hands and shook it: “Young Master, you’re going to sleep now? His Highness is still waiting for you to go over for dinner.”

Liu Xian’an said: “I’ll lie down for a while.”

“Your hand won’t be less red if you lie down.”

“It’s already not red anymore.”

“……”

“Hu.”

A-Ning had a severe headache and had to send someone to report the news to the prince.

After a while, Liang Shu came to the door in person. He bent down and took the person out, holding him as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Tell me, why did you get beaten this time?”

Liu Xian’an was indeed not asleep. He held Liang Shu’s neck with one arm and roughly recounted the conversation he had earlier with his elder brother.

“There is such a strange thing?” Liang Shu was surprised to hear this. “Are they really the same group of people?”

“It’s hard to say, but there are not many in the world who use gold bricks to pave the ground.”

“Then this is interesting.” Liang Shu said, “Between the grace of saving a life and the hatred of refusing a marriage, the former should be heavier, right?”

“What if the other party holds a grudge instead of being grateful?”

“As long as they are willing to come.” Liang Shu patted the person in his arms. “All right, let’s stop talking about this and go eat first.”

“My hand hurts a little.”

“Let’s see. Hiss, how could it be beaten so red?”

“It’s fine, this wasn’t the hand that was beaten.”

“…….”

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T/N: Sometimes when I’m translating, the Mandarin and English get jumbled in my head and I start typing some unholy amalgamation that reads like I’m having a stroke.

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Chapter Ninety-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred One

Everyone looked at the situation inside the gauze tent, but nobody dared to come forward and help.

Inside the gauze tent, as early as when Bai Su opened his mouth, Huo Fenglie had let go of Liu Zhenqing’s wrist as if he had woken up with a start.

But there was still a handprint on Liu Zhenqing’s wrist, and it could be seen how much force he had used just now.

A low, suppressed apology came from Huo Fenglie’s mouth, which made Liu Zhenqing even more unsettled.

Liu Zhenqing had many thoughts in his mind, and decided that just in case, it was better to give in quickly and pretend in order to eliminate suspicion.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression was tense as he raised his eyes slightly. His uneasiness was vivid, as if he wanted to kneel down on the spot. “General Huo, I’m sorry, I…..I will never touch it again. I didn’t mean it just now. I just saw Young Master Bai playing with it and thought it was fine, so I……”

Looking at the panicked Liu Zhenqing, Bai Su first said: “It’s fine, it’s fine. Zhanyuan…..”

Huo Fenglie was stunned for a moment, and looked down at Liu Zhenqing with a slight frown. “I was impolite. Young Master Liu, go ahead. The promise made still stands, so you can rest assured.”

This meant there was no need to worry. If Rong Shiming caused trouble, he would still help.

“Many thanks, General Huo, many thanks.” Liu Zhenqing immediately performed a wave of profound gratitude.

But Huo Fenglie didn’t seem to want to look any further, and just waved his hand for Liu Zhenqing to leave.

“What happened?” Bai Su frowned and looked at Huo Fenglie. “It’s not like you to have such a big reaction. After all, Young Master Liu didn’t provoke you maliciously, it was unintentional.”

“It’s nothing, I just haven’t seen someone twist a Rubik’s Cube with one hand, so I was a little surprised,” Huo Fenglie said calmly.

Bai Su was stunned for a moment. Although he felt this was far-fetched, he shook his head helplessly. “My elder brother always twisted it with one hand. Many people think this is nicer to look at.”

“Is that so?”

“And what’s the problem even if he twisted it with one hand? Did it provoke you?” Bai Su was puzzled. “Although you didn’t play with us much when you were a child, I remember that you were very good at it. When this thing was popular, you were the best at it. You could even twist it blindly. Why haven’t you tried twisting it with one hand?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head, and Bai Su felt that he was more and more strange.

Of course, twisting it with one hand was nothing, but everyone’s first twisting technique was different. The direction of twisting, which row or column to start from, inside to outside, or outside to inside, everyone was different. Few people would notice this.

But there was something about Liu Xiaozhu…..Was it a coincidence or……

“Archery? Is this really the competition?” Bai Su’s voice sounded again.

Huo Fenglie’s brow furrowed, and hesitation flashed across his face. His probing eyes once again focused on the person who was leaving.

Liu Zhenqing eyed the servants bringing in bows and arrows with a subtle look on his face. He wasn’t good at archery. Completely inaccurate. When he was studying at the Imperial Academy, he was an existence that the martial instructor ignored, and being trained by Liu Feihan for a long time still had no effect. Li Xingruo was better than him. She pointed at him every day and said sarcastically that Er-gou would be more accurate than him after three days of training.

Was this Rong Shiming’s way of cheating? He just happened to pick something he wasn’t good at. If it really was such a simple competition, it would be inappropriate to ask Huo Fenglie for help. But the battle was not lost even if he didn’t win. He had tricked Rong Shiming before. As long as he pretended to be calm, he might be able to trick him into changing it to something else.

Liu Zhenqing pretended to be very adept, admiring the bows and arrows, but he was actually flustered inside. However, the third Liu family cousin actually cooperated with him. Although he spoke in a low tone, his voice was very loud.

“It’s archery? That’s great. Although First Cousin doesn’t have the strength to truss a chicken, his accuracy is surprisingly good.”

These words naturally reached Rong Shiming’s ears.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart was in torment as he waited for him to call for a change, but he only waited until Rong Shiming stepped forward to directly explain the competition method. Liu Zhenqing lamented his luck, and was about to think of another way when he heard Rong Shiming say: “This time, let’s compete to see who has more guts!”

Liu Zhenqing: ? ? ?

The corners of Rong Shiming’s lips rose proudly, and he said: “We will each find a person to hold a bow and shoot arrows, and we will stand in front of the tree with three fruits on our head and hands. Just let the bow holder hit the targets without closing your eyes. If anyone moves and causes the fruit to fall, or the bow holder misses the shot, it will be considered a failure.”

Liu Zhenqing’s mood at the moment was really difficult to describe in words. He wanted to laugh but felt that it was impolite, and his expression was a little distorted due to holding it back. 

There was such a good thing? He wasn’t hallucinating, right?

“Right here? Then it’s okay if I ask General Huo for help?” Liu Zhenqing earnestly inquired, disbelieving.

What was going on in that little head? He wanted to change their hostility into friendship.

Rong Shiming looked at Liu Zhenqing’s ‘unsightly’ expression and sneered, saying as if he had the winning ticket: “Whatever.” But his eyes said that even if Huo Fenglie was invited, Liu Xiaozhu would not have the guts to compete.

Seeing Rong Shiming’s confident expression, Liu Zhenqing really didn’t understand him. The game was quite original, ah, but he felt that although the other had some brains, it was not very much.

In this person’s adolescence, it was common for him to hit every shot perfectly. Could it be that he didn’t know?

Liu Zhenqing’s thoughts had already begun to diverge, and he wondered if he had any other tricks. “What if there’s a draw?”

“Then just go again…..”

“We don’t have time to compete again!” Liu Zhenqing quickly interrupted. “If it’s a draw, how about we cancel out everything?”

Rong Shiming said indifferently: “All right.”

As he spoke, Rong Shiming raised his head and summoned the leader of the guards of the First Princess’s palace. “I choose him!”

Without saying a word, Liu Zhenqing bowed to Huo Fenglie to ask the general to come out.

In fact, at this time, Liu Zhenqing had a few doubts and wondered if Huo Fenglie would reject him for some unknown reason, but this was unfounded.

Huo Fenglie also got up and walked smoothly over.

Liu Zhenqing’s head was truly full of questions. Suddenly, the second cousin stretched out his hand and pulled Liu Zhenqing away hastily.

When Liu Zhenqing looked over, he saw that the two people who had been normal just now had extremely ugly expressions.

“Are you really able to do this?” The second cousin asked as if facing a formidable enemy.

“Why couldn’t I?” Liu Zhenqing asked in surprise.

The third cousin said: “He lost his memories. Maybe it will work!”

“Hey, can’t you tell me what happened? Don’t let me face a sudden accident when the time comes.”

The second cousin opened his mouth and explained. Liu Xiaozhu would never dare to agree to this competition. Not only was Liu Xiaozhu mediocre in courage, but the only bold thing he had done was probably to pursue Huo Fenglie. The main thing was that he once encountered an accident, which left a psychological shadow regarding bows and arrows.

This was caused by an attempted assassination when Liu Xiaozhu and Huo Fenglie first met. If not for that chance encounter, Liu Xiaozhu would have died under the indiscriminate arrows. Later, the Liu family discovered that as soon as Liu Xiaozhu saw a bow and arrow pointed in his direction, his whole body would tremble, but he was fine when holding the bow and arrow himself. Therefore, according to Liu Xiaozhu’s situation, it was impossible for him to win such a competition.

The second and third cousins thought it was a coincidence that Rong Shiming had arranged this game, but Liu Zhenqing instantly understood. According to his previous conjecture, his two misfortunes were arranged by Rong Shiming. Naturally, he would have paid attention to the subsequent situation, so it was not surprising that Rong Shiming knew of his weakness.

Thus, the game was set up.

But had he never considered that if Liu Zhenqing had lost his memory, he wouldn’t be afraid anymore?

“What’s with that look you have now? Don’t be afraid,” the third cousin said anxiously.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head in a relaxed manner, but the second cousin was still pessimistic, and said: “Since you’ve chosen General Huo, you must trust him and not move. We are relying on you.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t quite understand the second cousin’s worries. It wasn’t until people around him started talking that he understood.

“How about it? Who will win? Do you want to bet?”

“Bet on what? If you think with your brain, you should know that it must be Young Master Rong.”

“That’s right, Young Master Rong is a bit of a bully, and all these games are designed with a bias toward him. It’s so despicable. How could a normal person not be afraid at all when faced with an unfamiliar person aiming a bow and arrow and shooting at close range? How could they watch helplessly as a murderous weapon was coming toward them? Even if Liu Xiaozhu hadn’t lost his memory, it would be hard to say.”

“The key to this isn’t a test of whether the opponent is accurate, but whether the target can remain still. Would you dare? No matter what, I wouldn’t dare.”

“For such a test, only if the people involved are very familiar and trust each other will they definitely work together properly. This isn’t the first time Young Master Rong has played. He has worked with the guard leader every time and has never lost, and he’s trained to the point where he is no longer afraid. As for Liu Xiaozhu, tsk tsk tsk…..”

“I think it was a mistake for him to choose General Huo. Who dares face the arrows of General Huo without his legs shaking? He’s so imposing that it’s terrifying, ah. Even enemy generals wouldn’t have the guts.”

“Liu Xiaozhu is probably already panicking. He only considered whether he could hit the target, not whether his own courage would be enough at the time, hahaha.”

Everyone gathered together and couldn’t help but laugh at Liu Zhenqing’s desperate panic.

“But it’s also strange, didn’t the two of them have a disagreement just now? How does Liu Xiaozhu dare? Is he really not afraid that General Huo will kill him by mistake?”

Liu Zhenqing: …….

Could he say that he used to be as good as Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo before?

Because of his great trust in the Huo family, Liu Zhenqing didn’t realize that this was something he needed to be afraid of.

Now Liu Zhenqing understood what was going on with Rong Shiming’s Thousand Locks game, which he had considered to be a sure win. Liu Zhenqing looked at Rong Shiming with amusement in his heart, and as expected, he received a look that said he was sure to win.

“Is it reliable?” The First Princess asked Rong Shiming, who had stepped forward. “There can be no accidents this time.”

Rong Shiming sneered: “If he still has a psychological shadow, he will lose. If the amnesia erased it, then he and Huo Fenglie have only met a few times, and even his love is gone. How can he dare to stand under his arrows? Even if he agrees readily, he will definitely give in when the critical moment comes. I have neer seen anyone be able to withstand the intimidation of Huo Fenglie when he is using a weapon! What’s more, wasn’t it because of the Rubik’s Cube that they had an altercation just now?”

The First Princess said with a scoff: “That’s right. The two just argued and won’t trust each other.”

“Cousin, thank you very much for teaching me how to play this game before,” Rong Shiming said with a smile.

A trace of discomfort flashed across the face of the First Princess. They had always had this game in their house, and all the guards had been trained. Actually, this was because the treacherous minister had played this way with the former General Huo and Li Xingruo before. At that time, they also liked to compete on horseback. The First Princess had lost once. She also refused to admit defeat and wanted to compete again, but never had the chance.

And on the other side, the reactions of the people around him gave Liu Zhenqing a reference. He remembered the previous crisis and suddenly shifted his eyes. When Huo Fenglie came over, Liu Xiaozhu immediately feigned fear and nervousness, but forced a smile, which made him appear to be timid and unable to fully trust Huo Fenglie. It could be said that he was completely different from the Liu Zhenqing before.

Huo Fenglie didn’t show any reaction, but his eyes darkened. “Just stand firm later, Young Master Liu.”

“I’m really sorry to trouble you, General Huo. I will cooperate honestly.” Liu Zhenqing’s expression was pained.

At this time, Rong Shiming had already asked the leader of the guards to choose his bow and arrows.

Huo Fenglie also walked directly to the shelf, picked up a bow at random, and settled on it after making sure that it was sound. Liu Zhenqing followed Huo Fenglie around like a little wife. His weak appearance really didn’t make him look like a courageous person.

Rong Shiming on the side sneered, saying at once: “Forget it, let’s give you a little more time to think about whether to admit defeat directly. After all, a sword has no eyes, so if you get hurt…..”

This was truly straightforward intimidation. Liu Zhenqing must play along. His face instantly became aggrieved, and his hands even shook.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing. His tone seemed a little distant as he said: “Young Master Liu, as long as you don’t make any big movements, you won’t be harmed.”

Liu Zhenqing waved his hands and said: “It’s all right, I won’t move at all. Even if you shoot me, I won’t blame you. I just want to apologize for what happened just now.”

Huo Fenglie: “I…..am not angry.”

“Of course, of course, my lord is benevolent. I sincerely apologize,” Liu Zhenqing said, smiling obsequiously.

Huo Fenglie lost interest in talking.

On the other side, Rong Shiming walked in a high and mighty way to the tree and passed by the audience area, where he also gave a proud smile to Jiang Zi’er, who had been silently watching the game.

Jiang Zi’er curled her lips slightly, and it seemed as if she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She actually looked more certain that Rong Shiming would win than before.

Liu Zhenqing understood after just one glance. Jiang Zi’er…..sure enough, she knew the whole story behind his assassination. She truly had the most poisonous heart among women.

Rong Shiming stood still, holding three fruits. If he moved even slightly, they might fall down. And only ten meters away, the arrow could be clearly seen, which was quite frightening. But Rong Shiming remained bold, and showed no timidity at all. He said: “Let’s start!”

The guard raised his bow at the command and instantly shot an arrow. The fruit on his head was penetrated and fell, but Rong Shiming didn’t move at all. Instead, he gave an easy smile. Everything went smoothly, and the people around him cheered at once.

At this time, Bai Su came to them and whispered to Huo Fenglie: “It’s obvious that you are really going to hit the mark with every shot. Zhanyuan, stare at that arrogant boy and scare him into trembling!”

Huo Fenglie glanced at Bai Su, and then actually stared at Rong Shiming. But Rong Shiming was extremely focused and only looked at the guard. Thus, the second arrow hit.

The cheers all around grew louder. Even the First Princess began to leisurely drink tea.

“Tsk, it seems……at most, it will be a draw. Young Master Liu, you must trust the person you chose. As long as you cooperate, Zhanyuan can guarantee you a draw.” Bai Su comforted Liu Zhenqing, who seemed to be uneasy.

Liu Zhenqing lowered his head without even a tremor of his eyelashes. Instead, he glanced at the guard shooting arrows nearby and chuckled. Bai Su was smart, but not smart enough to grasp the idea. 

What was the use of looking at Rong Shiming with murderous eyes? 

Of course it depended on…..

The third time the bow was drawn, Liu Zhenqing suddenly panicked and said: “General Huo, look at the guard’s archery posture.”

As soon as these words came out, the guard’s hand suddenly shook, and the arrow flew out with an almost swaying motion.

After all, his body had been tense with General Huo standing a few steps away, and he couldn’t help but pay attention to him since before the game even started, instinctively guarding against Huo Fenglie’s every move. Now that he heard he was going to be watched, he felt as nervous and at a loss as when his master was examining his abilities.

“Careful!” The guard knew that something was about to happen as soon as the arrow was shot, and quickly shouted out.

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

T/N: Thank you so much to InkRaven87 for the donation! Here’s a double update!

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A Rubik’s Cube could anger Huo Fenglie. It was just unknown who his anger was directed at.

Everyone present thought it was the Liu family.

The two younger brothers couldn’t help but tremble, and even Liu Zhenqing’s face sank as he was once again faced with something he didn’t want to think about too deeply.

Did Er-gou really hate him so much?

Rong Shiming was a little displeased. Although he thought Huo Fenglie’s anger was inevitable, why wreck the place? How could they continue to play like this? But when his eyes glanced over in dissatisfaction, he froze for a moment.

Huo Fenglie was looking at him……he was actually looking at him, and his cold, dark eyes seemed to be seeing a dead person.

Rong Shiming’s legs softened at once, and he directly leaned against the table.

The First Princess recovered and promptly stood up, saying angrily: “General Huo, how can you attack me at will within my palace? What if you had hurt me?”

“My hand slipped for a moment. Please forgive me, Your Highness.” Huo Fenglie was perfunctory and indifferent, but his eyes were as sharp as arrows, causing people to not dare to look directly at him.

“You!”

The First Princess was furious, and was about to speak when she saw Bai Su walk directly in front of the crowd and slowly pick up the jade Rubik’s Cube on the ground.

“Your Highness, General Huo saw something familiar and was just agitated for a moment.” Bai Su went right ahead and started to solve the Rubik’s Cube.

Everyone was shocked. After all, it stood to reason that…..Bai Su probably didn’t want to see this thing either.

However, under the dexterous twists of Bai Su’s hands, the Rubik’s Cube was quickly solved with a crisp clicking sound.

The people around didn’t dare to breathe and others didn’t dare to play. But it seemed that no one dared to say anything when this family member of one of the victims amused himself.

“Aiya, I accidentally solved it. It seems that it isn’t suitable to continue the competition. How about voiding the bet to avoid hurting the harmony?” Bai Su smiled gently, as if he wanted to pass over the matter in one go.

And now Rong Shiming understood that he had become the victim of his ingenuity. Regardless of whether Huo Fenglie would be affected by this game and refuse to help Liu Zhenqing, he had already offended Huo Fenglie by taking the initiative to instigate this matter.

How could Rong Shiming be willing to give up halfway? His expression was sullen and unresigned. “I made a bet with Young Master Liu and we haven’t finished the competition yet. It is better for Young Master Bai to watch quietly.”

Bai Yu did not put the Rubik’s Cube back, but raised his eyebrows and said: “Then think of other games to compete in. I’m afraid that if you continue to play this one, someone might first cause the one who prepared this thing to have no chance to compete again.”

His always gentle tone turned gloomy during the last sentence and seemed to imply something, which sent chills down Rong Shiming’s spine. He didn’t dare look over, but still glared, unconvinced.

And the First Princess was also angry, but didn’t want to offend Huo Fenglie. After all, if this matter was brought to the Emperor, he would definitely favor Huo Fenglie. Thus, she said directly: “Cousin, think of something else.”

The princess’s words invalidated this competition. Rong Shiming was so furious that he immediately smashed the mechanism box in his hand. The people around him understood the current situation and helped persuade him to find another way to conduct the competition.

“Then please think about it slowly, Young Master Rong. Young Master Liu, come to our spot to take a rest and recover before competing again later?” Bai Su smiled and made an inviting gesture.

This move shocked everyone again. The appearance of the Rubik’s Cube reminded a victim’s family member about the reason he hated the Liu family, but he still took the initiative to get close to him? This…..everyone looked into the distance and saw that Huo Fenglie had walked back into the gauze tent at some point, returned to his seat, and sat down.

When Bai Su invited him, he must have known that Huo Fenglie would not turn against him.

Could it be that Rong Shiming had really dropped a rock on his own foot, and in the end, this anger was directed at Rong Shiming and the First Princess?

The First Princess and Rong Shiming exchanged glances, and the looks on their faces were not very good. If this was the case, they would really have to pay a double penalty.

Although Liu Zhenqing looked at Bai Su with some surprise, he readily followed this good advice and walked away, leaving everyone behind with looks of amazement on their faces. The two younger Liu family brothers didn’t dare to follow, and could only go back to their seats and wait anxiously for the next competition.

Liu Zhenqing followed Bai Su silently, and then heard him say: “Don’t worry, we’re aware that Rong Shiming deliberately set you up, and we know the culprit well. If Zhanyuan hadn’t taken action just now, it would have been very troublesome. Don’t worry, his anger isn’t directed at you.”

Liu Zhenqing gave a dry laugh. Really?

“The two of you have high moral character and clear grievances. I admire you,” Liu Zhenqing praised sincerely.

“We’re just going by the facts,” Bai Su said with a smile.

Liu Zhenqing said: “It’s very difficult for people not to express their anger when things like this happen. Besides, you just helped me out of trouble. Now Young Master Bai invited me to signal to Rong Shiming that you hold no grudge against our Liu family because of this, and made him consider if he can still use the same tactics against me. It also shows everyone that the Huo family and Bai family both have their own grievances and debtors, and will not take their anger out on innocent people. I am grateful for such help.”

Bai Su’s smile became more sincere. Although he had helped the other party without expecting anything in return, that he understood and felt grateful still made him feel good.

This person had truly changed a lot. He Lan and the others were right. Liu Zhenqing was much more interesting now. In fact, the last time the three of them got together, Bai Su was away from the city, otherwise he would have gotten to know Liu Zhenqing again.

“Tell me honestly, if I hadn’t interrupted just now, what would Young Master Liu have chosen?” Bai Su asked curiously.

Liu Zhenqing said with embarrassment: “I would naturally have solved the Rubik’s Cube. No matter what, I couldn’t be humiliated like that.”

Bai Su said helplessly: “Is it because of the amnesia that you don’t worry about anything? Then your two little brothers would die of anxiety.”

Liu Zhenqing wore a helpless look. “There was no other way. What else could be done?”

Bai Su thought for a moment, then also shook his head in embarrassment.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing had already thought of a way just now. It was certainly not possible to be humiliated, so after he decided to solve the Rubik’s Cube, he would just hurry home and report it to the Old Master. The old man should have a pretty good idea of how to deal with this situation, and the most effective way to remedy it was to control public opinion.

He would ask the Old Master to go to the palace to cry and complain about being targeted for his blood identity. It would be best to first try crying, then try screaming, and then try threatening to kill himself. Then he would use public opinion to say that the princess’s palace had openly used the Rubik’s Cube to insult them, denying the Liu family a way to survive, and make the matter as big as possible. In addition, when he left the capital, it would be portrayed that he was mentally oppressed because of solving the Rubik’s Cube, and departed with guilt and introspection. In this way, by putting the matter on the table, it would simply portray the Liu family as pitiful victims.

After all, it was His Majesty who allowed this lineage of the Liu family to stay and gave them rewards, which showed his approval of them. The First Princess’s palace would definitely be warned this time. And once news of the Emperor’s support spread, other officials in the Imperial court would not have too many taboos against how the younger generations played. At most, they would still have the same attitude as before in the future.

Therefore, Liu Zhenqing didn’t think this was a difficult matter to solve. Back then, Prime Minister Liu was the best at manipulating public opinion and discerning human nature. Otherwise, his reputation as the “treacherous prime minister” would not have spread so far and wide.

He just hadn’t expected that there would be such an unforeseen event. But this was fine too. Nothing happened, and it was naturally better that Huo Fenglie interrupted.

When he came before Huo Fenglie again, Liu Zhenqing felt a little strange. Before being invited to sit down by Bai Su, he first thanked him, and Huo Fenglie gave a casual response. Although he couldn’t tell Huo Fenglie’s mood at the moment, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit low.

After sitting down, he saw that Bai Su had brought along the Rubik’s Cube from just now and placed it on the table. It seemed that he really didn’t care, and was just playing with it like an ordinary toy. Huo Fenglie glanced at it with a slight frown, but didn’t say anything.

“Young Master Liu, what do you think of the new competition later?” Bai Su asked while playing casually.

“Different situations call for different solutions. Anyway, apart from the martial arts competitions, we can compete in everything else,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“Rong Shiming doesn’t know martial arts, he’s just uncouth,” Bai Su said with a smile. “If it really has something to do with brute strength…..”

As he spoke, Bai Su raised his eyebrows and looked at Huo Fenglie across from him, and Liu Zhenqing also looked over shamelessly.

Huo Fenglie said in a deep voice: “If they go too far, I will take action.” Rong Shiming had already stepped on his minefield, so this was not really for the sake of Liu Zhenqing.

Bai Su raised an eyebrow at Liu Zhenqing and smiled. It truly warmed one’s heart. But in the next moment, Bai Su held the Rubik’s Cube and said to Liu Zhenqing: “Can you play?”

This made Liu Zhenqing feel awkward in a flash. “I’m okay.”

Seeing that he was uncomfortable, Bai Su smiled and said: “As you just said, we don’t take our anger out on innocent people. Who would care about a small toy? Common people are a little too cautious. When faced with this sort of thing, they still speak of it with pale faces, on guard for any possible dangers. I just feel like Rong Shiming was insulting us. Our displeasure is just the starting point, because someone is using this thing to deliberately poke at our nerves.”

Really? Liu Zhenqing didn’t believe it, and said in his heart: The person opposite doesn’t look as magnanimous as you. His expression is very bad every time he sees a Rubik’s Cube.

Petty Er-gou!

Bai Su seemed to have remembered something, and murmured: “In fact, I loved playing this game when I was a child. The more complex a thing was, the more I liked to play it, and I always tried to compete with my brother. He was good at this too, and always said…..”

Bai Su spoke to this point and suddenly paused. The Rubik’s Cube lay silently in the palm of his hand.

His face sank uncontrollably. Sure enough, it seemed to have brought back bad memories.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but think of Bai Yu, a scholar with great status and talent. He still remembered that the two of them met because of the Rubik’s Cube. That year, Bai Yu was ranked among the top three in the Imperial Examinations. There was a custom of a peach blossom banquet in the Imperial Academy, and Liu Zhenqing was invited by the teachers. The young man was drunk, his cheeks were flushed, and he used the wine to strengthen his courage. Then he took Liu Zhenqing’s favored Rubik’s Cube and said shyly: “Prime Minister Liu, this student would like to compete with you.”

That year, it was not long after the new fourteen-year-old emperor had come to power with their assistance, and although he was the prime minister, Liu Zhenqing had not yet begun to use thunderous means to achieve his goals. Huo Feihan had also just received a battle report and was preparing to attack the western front.

Surrounded by enemies in the Imperial court, Liu Zhenqing’s nerves were tense every day, out of fear that if he made a single mistake, all would be lost. It was a rare moment of leisure, watching green young men grow up, and he felt that there was hope for the future. Thus, he indulged himself for just one night.

Under the peach blossom forest, drinking a bit of wine, he accepted various challenges from the students regardless of his superiority. Liu Zhenqing, who was famous all over the country, would naturally not lose face when confronted by a challenge from anyone, and would keep them all in check.

Bai Yu competed with Liu Zhenqing using the Rubik’s Cube. Although he knew he would lose, he didn’t foresee that his loss would be so tragic. Before he had one side completed, Liu Zhenqing had already won the battle. Moreover, he still held the wine cup in one hand while twisting with the other hand, cool and carefree. He said in the end: “Not bad, keep up the good work.”

Bai Yu was not dissatisfied, but was instead full of admiration and worship. “This student will definitely work hard to win once.”

After that, Bai Yu followed him to the Imperial court and became the most powerful civil servant in his hands. If he were still alive, he would have been in his late thirties and started a family and a career, and would be able to take over his duties.

Reminiscing and regretting, Liu Zhenqing sighed in his heart. When he looked at Bai Su’s expression, he couldn’t help but stretch out his right hand to take the re-disordered Rubik’s Cube. With one hand, his slender white fingers seemed to continuously draw a silver line as they slid. The silver thread moved the rows upon rows of small squares like magic, making them obey and quickly unify.

Others played to find patterns and solve them, but watching Liu Zhenqing play was like a performance art, very pleasing to the eye.

Even with one hand, he was no slower than Bai Su with two hands, and he didn’t even pause in thought.

Having performed well in the Thousand Locks before, Bai Su was not surprised that Liu Zhenqing could play this. He watched and watched, his attention drawn in, and finally exclaimed: “You are quite skilled. As expected, you would have won if you hadn’t stopped just now.”

Seeing that Bai Su was in a better mood, Liu Zhenqing smiled. He was about to speak, when his right wrist was suddenly grabbed with great force. 

Because the movement was so big and the force so heavy, the Rubik’s Cube flew right out of Liu Zhenqing’s hand. 

And this time, the Rubik’s Cube was not so lucky. It was smashed out of the gauze tent on the spot and shattered to pieces, disrupting the crowd outside.

Everyone: He’s still angry?! I seem to see General Huo and Liu Zhenqing confronting each other, ah!

Liu Zhenqing met Huo Fenglie’s falcon-like eyes inside the gauze tent, and with ill timing, thought of the aftermath of what he had just recalled.

When he was drunk, he burned the midnight oil and slept in the peach blossom forest that night with his head pillowed in his arms.

In the end, he woke up in Er-gou’s courtyard. He had probably taken care of this drunkard all night and was robbed of his bed. Er-gou, who was fifteen years old, probably didn’t sleep all night. When he woke up in the morning and saw the kid, his eyes were all black and blue, but he still spoke with a pair of sincere eyes and suddenly told Liu Zhenqing that he planned to go to the battlefield with his brother.

In assisting the new emperor to ascend the throne, the young Huo Fenglie had also suffered from hardships and made a lot of contributions. Even more, he had established a deep friendship with the new emperor, so the situation was now stable. Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan both felt that it was time for the child to live the life he deserved. It didn’t matter if he worked as a reading companion or returned to the Imperial Academy. They would let him choose and grow freely under the protection of their wings.

It was unknown why Huo Fenglie suddenly had this idea. Although some members of the Huo family went to the battlefield at a young age, at that time, there were only the two brothers in the Huo family. The other relatives in the Huo family absolutely disagreed. To put it bluntly, what if something happened to the two brothers at the same time?

But although Huo Fenglie was young and not good with words, he never compromised on his decision.

Compared with the comfortable life of a young master in his fourteen or fifteen years in the capital, Huo Fenglie seemed so anxious for success that he was spoiling his prospects. Although everything that followed proved that his decision was the correct one, at that time, no one wanted to see him so eager to grow up. Even Liu Zhenqing beseeched Huo Feihan overtly and in secret, but as the elder brother, Huo Feihan felt that there was no problem.

So Huo Fenglie, who had just turned fifteen, donned the uniform of a soldier and set foot on the western battlefield.

On the day the army was sent off, Liu Zhenqing saw Er-gou among the troops and felt a little sorry for this stubborn child, but Er-gou’s gaze was extremely firm. At that moment, he was really like the rising sun, warm, but containing formidable power.

Completely different from the current cold gaze that seemed to come from the abyss.

Ignoring the nearly crushing force on his wrist, Liu Zhenqing stared at Huo Fenglie in astonishment. For a moment, it seemed as if he was enveloped by the clinging darkness there, and the heavy feeling was so overwhelming that he almost couldn’t breathe.

“General Huo, what are you…..”

No way, was he really so petty that he couldn’t stand a member of the Liu family playing with a Rubik’s Cube? Couldn’t he learn from Bai Su’s example?

Wait, this didn’t seem to be an angry look, but a shocked one. He hadn’t revealed his secrets, had he?

What had he done? He had just wanted to make Bai Su happy, so he used Bai Yu’s favorite one-handed twisting method. There were probably a plethora of people who knew it. Moreover, he clearly remembered that Er-gou was stupid in every way at playing with the Rubik’s Cube, and could not learn no matter how much he taught him. He shouldn’t be able to observe carefully and pick out flaws even Liu Zhenqing hadn’t thought of. If he could spot this, it would be absurd, ah!

“You……” Huo Fenglie’s expression was a bit difficult to describe. His pupils quivered slightly, and he even unconsciously grabbed the other person’s hand and pulled him forward.

“Zhanyuan?” Bai Su looked at the two of them doubtfully. According to his understanding of Huo Fenglie, he would never get angry because of Liu Zhenqing playing with the Rubik’s Cube. And Huo Fenglie’s emotions were indeed out of control at the moment, only in the wake of his words, he seemed to consciously restrain himself.

Just as Bai Su was about to speak, he heard Rong Shiming shout from outside.

The new competition was ready!

---

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Chapter Twenty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Four

Slam.

The car door closed.

The driver in the front row turned around and asked, “Where are you two going?”

Qiao Dong answered matter-of-factly, “Bo Manor.”

“No, let’s go around to the Imperial Capital Hospital first. I’ll get off there.” Pei Yi indicated for the driver to drive, then looked sideways at his assistant beside him and said, “You can take the luggage and other things home to rest later.”

They had done a good job keeping the secret, and even Lin Zhong, Lao Fu, and the others didn’t know.

Qiao Dong was stunned for a couple of seconds, clearly unable to react.

Pei Yi reminded him, “Have you forgotten? Today is the Old Madam’s birthday celebration.”

Qiao Dong returned to his senses at once and slapped his forehead. “Ah, right! Brother Yi, look at my brain, no wonder you came back in such a hurry today.”

Today wasn’t actually Old Mrs. Bo’s birthday. It was just that she had been bedridden during that time last year, and now that she was fully recovered—

Not only did Bo Yueming want to give her a big showing, the old lady herself also wanted to have a good time.

Some time ago, Pei Yi’s work in Haishi experienced unexpected complications. The entire filming plan was postponed for more than half a month, and even his return date was delayed.

When she heard that Pei Yi might not be able to make it to the birthday banquet, Old Mrs. Bo only said that Pei Yi should focus on his own work.

He was family.

There would be plenty of time to spend together in the future, so there was no rush to meet in a day or two, but Pei Yi still rushed back.

The taxi stopped on the side of the road in front of the Imperial Capital Hospital.

Qiao Dong looked at the sky, which was still bright, and asked worriedly, “Brother Yi, you really don’t need me to accompany you inside?”

“No need, this is all the Bo family’s territory. What can happen to me?”

Pei Yi shook his head with a chuckle, then patted his assistant on the shoulder. “You’ve worked hard these past two months. Go back and rest first. I’ll give you a week’s leave with pay.”

Qiao Dong’s eyes brightened when he heard Pei Yi’s reward. “Thank you, Brother Yi!”

He was a little tired after a two-month business trip, but he had learned a lot of useful things at Pei Yi’s side.

It was approaching six o’clock, but the sky was still light.

Pei Yi remembered the specifications and standards of the Bo family’s birthday banquets. After getting out of the car, he first sent a text to Lin Zhong, so as not to let the unfamiliar attendants stop him later since he didn’t have an invitation.

Once he received a reply saying that the other party would come to meet him, Pei Yi slowly approached the main entrance of the hotel.

After bypassing the giant fountain that blocked his view, hsi sharp eyes quickly noticed the scene occurring at the entrance of the hall—

An old man with a cane was insisting on going in. Two attendants blocked his progress with embarrassed expressions, but didn’t dare to make physical contact with him.

Pei Yi stared at the figure’s back, and a guess suddenly came to mind. He silently moved closer, and sure enough, he heard a familiar commanding tone.

“Do you know who I am? Why won’t you let me in!”

Indeed, it was Cheng Yangshan.

After not seeing him for a year, the other person’s clothing had become shabby and ordinary. His back was no longer straight, and seeing that the flesh on his cheeks had also disappeared, one could guess how good his life currently was.

“I say, old man, please don’t make things difficult for us!”

Having learned of the situation, the manager hurried out with a hint of impatience in his tone. “Mr. Bo and the Old Madam have given orders to not allow random people to come and go at will.”

“Random people?”

Cheng Yangshan was deeply stimulated by this description, and was so furious that he threw the cane in his hand.

It was a pity that he didn’t have much strength, and couldn’t hit anyone.

Cheng Yangshan shouted relentlessly, “Bo Peizhi and I have been married for over sixty years! She’s holding a birthday party today, so why can’t I go in?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he tried to force his way in.

Cheng Yangshan tried his utmost to break through the attendants blocking him, but his foot unexpectedly slipped and he fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain on the spot.

“…….”

The hotel manager and the attendants were both shocked.

Before they could think to help him, Cheng Yangshan howled and pretended to be injured. This scoundrel looked completely different from his previous lofty attitude!

Pei Yi burst out laughing at the sight. He stepped forward and sneered, “Husband and wife? What kind of husband and wife are you?”

Lying on the ground, Cheng Yangshan looked up and his expression immediately changed to embarrassment.

A cold smile broke out on Pei Yi’s face. “Hasn’t the court already ruled that you and Grandma are divorced? What, have you lost your memory in your old age? Is that what this is?”

Cheng Yangshan’s limbs shook with anger. “P-Pei Yi! I knew you weren’t anything good!”

He played the fool before, but then turned around and became a “normal person?” This person clearly coveted the Bo family’s property, so used any means necessary to stay!

Had he known this, he wouldn’t have approached the Pei family for marriage in the first place

Not to be outdone, Pei Yi said, “I could say the same for you!”

“When you married into the Bo family, weren’t you quite dignified when you wore the title of ‘Mr. Bo’ and lived a soft life?”

“But why didn’t I see you caring about Grandma at that time? Now that you’re divorced, why are you pretending to be husband and wife? Are you thinking of the glory and wealth of the Bo family again?”

“…….”

Cheng Yangshan was speechless, his voice catching in his throat again and again. He shakily climbed up from the ground, and before he could say one sharp word, another voice rang out.

“Little Sir.”

Lin Zhong had received the news from Pei Yi, and rushed over quickly. His eyes only stayed on Cheng Yangshan’s face for a second.

The hotel manager seemed to have seen a savior and quickly begged for help with his eyes. “Assistant Lin, this old man……”

In the end, given his age, how could they dare to drive this person away casually, ah? If something went wrong, how could their hotel afford it?

Pei Yi spoke on Lin Zhong’s behalf, “Call the police. There are so many surveillance cameras in the lobby. Who is the one causing trouble? The police will naturally have a basis for judging the situation, so don’t let such a person disrupt the Old Madam’s birthday party.”

The manager received Pei Yi’s instructions and quickly nodded and followed suit.

How could Cheng Yangshan be willing to leave?

He tried to step forward to stop the manager, but Pei Yi blocked his way.

Pei Yi looked into the turbid eyes of the person before him and spoke with deliberate harshness, “Old man, there is something I haven’t said clearly. Don’t think that no one can punish you in your old age!”

Cheng Yangshan’s pupils suddenly shook.

He thought of Bo Guancheng’s dirty tricks in the past, and felt that Pei Yi would use the same methods to deal with him!

If that were the case, would he still have a way to survive?

Cheng Yangshan had always been a suspicious person. Frightened by his own imaginings, he took a step back and lost his balance again, falling to the ground.

Only this time, he heard the crack of his own bones, and a dull pain instantly spread throughout his body.

Pei Yi and Lin Zhong exchanged glances, then directly left Cheng Yangshan on his own and departed. 

Such a shameless old man who had done all sorts of evil was not worth their time!

. . . . . . . .

The elevator door closed.

Lin Zhong pressed the button for the eighth floor.

Pei Yi took advantage of the lack of other people around to ask, “What’s happened with Cheng Yangshan? He still dared to come?”

Lin Zhong replied with a guess, “I suppose he has no money, so he thought to come back today to find an opportunity.”

Pei Yi frowned. “No money?”

Under Bo Yueming’s orders, Lin Zhong had people monitoring Cheng Yangshan’s every move and reporting on a regular basis.

“The court ruled that after the Old Madam and Cheng Yangshan divorced, the other party would still retain some assets.”

Although when compared to the Bo family’s large business, Chen Yangshan’s assets were no different from “cleaning up and leaving the house,” compared to that of a small family, it was still enough to provide stability for a few years.

It was just that Old Mrs. Bo was a person of means and a decisive temperament.

She deliberately planned to make the foreign trade company run by Cheng family profitable, and under her instigation and deception, Cheng Yangshan invested most of his money into shares.

Then, Old Mrs. Bo used her own power to prey on the small fish. In less than two months, Cheng Yangshan and all the relatives of the Cheng family who had relied on the Bo family for their livelihoods were completely destitute!

Cheng Yangshan had lost his wealth and status. Who in the Cheng family would be willing to take care of such an old man?

His relatives avoided seeing him and thought he was troublesome, and a few even cursed him.

Cheng Yangshan was likely desperate, and wanted to rely on their decades of being husband and wife.

Pei Yi shook his head, his eyes full of disdain.

Some people only understood regret after they had lost everything. But what was the use of regretting now? If Cheng Yangshan had turned himself around a year ago, given Old Mrs. Bo’s character, she might still have been lenient.

Doing all of these things and then repenting? Forget it!

Pei Yi put away these thoughts and asked instead, “Where are Er-ge and Grandma? Are they in the banquet hall? You didn’t tell them I was coming, right?”

Lin Zhong shook his head. “No, I kept it a secret.”

“The manager downstairs called and said that the old man was making trouble, and it was Mr. Bo who told me to go down and handle it. He had an impromptu meeting, and the Old Madam is still in the lounge at the moment.”

The banquet would officially start at half past six, and there were still about ten minutes of free time.

Pei Yi knew that Bo Yueming had a video conference arranged for today, so he smiled and nodded. “All right, I’ll just go into the banquet hall and wait for them. This should be a sudden enough surprise.”

Lin Zhong was more familiar with the banquet hall, and gave him an idea upon hearing this, “Little Sir, why don’t you go in directly from the side door of the banquet hall? There happens to be a rest area in the corner over there where you can sit and wait.”

Guests were constantly coming in and out of the main entrance of the banquet hall, and the news might be leaked.

Since it was a “surprise,” it must not be known until the last second.

Pei Yi smiled and nodded. “Okay, ah, I was just on a plane, so I’m a little tired and hungry. I’ll take my time first.”

. . . . . . .

Under Lin Zhong’s cover, Pei Yi successfully entered the out-of-the-way seating area of the banquet hall from the side door. There were rows of soft sofas with gauze curtains for additional privacy.

The birthday banquet had not yet started, and the second branch and others were busy entertaining guests in the foyer and the banquet hall.

Pei Yi quickly sat down in the far corner, and with the gauze curtains blocking him, his sudden appearance didn’t cause anyone any unnecessary attention or trouble.

He casually picked up a piece of apple pie from the table in the rest area. After tasting it, he realized that it was the texture he enjoyed. He lowered his eyes and looked at it—

As expected, it was from the dessert shop Bo Yueming usually got his sweets from.

Star-rated hotels like this usually had chefs who specialized in desserts, but these desserts came from a store that wasn’t a big brand?

Other than Bo Yueming, who else would go out of their way to put such thought into it? Even though he wasn’t sure about Pei Yi’s return date, he still made extra arrangements for such a small detail.

Pei Yi couldn’t help but dig out another spoonful of apple filling to taste. He couldn’t tell whether his mouth and his heart was sweeter.

Suddenly, whispers came from the rest area nearby.

“Tell me, who would have thought that after all this going around and around, Second Young Master Bo would finally become the boss and take over the company?”

“Everything in the world is unpredictable, ah. The main branch was so good in the beginning, but forced him to get married once he went blind? Speaking of which, how is Young Master Pei doing?”

Pei Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly when he heard his name.

“Who knows? I heard that Young Master Pei’s mental illness has healed. What kind of game studio has he set up now? There was also a commotion at the beginning of the year.”

“It must be said, ah, who could be luckier than Pei Yi? Even though they were forced into marriage, they got to where they are today by accident and are in a husband and wife relationship, so they might be able to enjoy it in the future.”

“What husband and wife relationship? Young Master Pei hasn’t been around for a while. He might have left the Bo family long ago!”

“That’s right, these two people haven’t received the certificate and aren’t married. I saw that Mr. Bo didn’t even have a ring on his hand some time ago. It’s a marriage in name only, so it doesn’t count.”

“……..”

A steady stream of low-pitched discussions came through the gauze.

Pei Yi lowered his eyes to look at his empty ring finger and suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of dissatisfaction and melancholy.

He and Bo Yueming had officially started dating because they had similar mindsets and liked each other, and had been together for a year.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, the two still appeared to be in a “forced marriage.” Not only did they not have a formal relationship in the outside world, but they were also speculated to be “using each other.”

While Pei Yi was thinking to himself, the topic next door took another turn.

“If this marriage doesn’t count, isn’t there still a chance?”

“Which family doesn’t pay attention to a well-matched couple when it comes to marriage? I don’t think these two can last long. Maybe Bo Yueming is single now. Those of you with children can give it a try.”

“You missed the opportunity for a marriage with him, but now you must seize it.”

There was an element of joking in his statement, but it was also mixed with sincere encouragement and an eagerness to make a move.”

Who wouldn’t want to climb a big tree like Bo Yueming and enjoy the shade?

There were so many shameful things done by wealthy families, but no matter how vile they were, the one who could sit in the right seat in the end was the biggest winner!

Pei Yi listened with a hint of displeasure on his face as the topic next door went further and further, and directly threw down the small spoon in his hand.

Bang!

The guests behind the gauze curtain were startled, and fell silent for a moment.

In the blink of an eye, Pei Yi opened the curtain and walked over. He bent down lightly to pick up the spoon.

“Sorry, my hand slipped and I accidentally dropped it.”

“…….”

The guests in the sitting area next door were embarrassed when they saw Pei Yi suddenly appear in front of them.

They exchanged glances, feeling a little guilty.

Why was this person sitting next to them? Could his hand slip and throw the spoon all this way?

Pei Yi took in their expressions one by one, smiling but not smiling. “What were you talking about just now? Let me hear it too.”

His tone was moderate, but he controlled the direction of the topic.

Mr. Zhao from Kaishi Electric Co. glanced at his wife, who quickly said, “We’re just casually chatting. Young Master Pei, don’t take it seriously.”

Someone responded, “Yes, ah, we didn’t expect Young Master Pei to be here today.”

Pei Yi didn’t buy it. “What? Hearing this, was I not supposed to come to the Old Madam’s birthday party today, or am I not worthy?”

The atmosphere froze once more.

None of the guests present had expected that Pei Yi would become so sharp-tongued after getting rid of his “foolish stuttering.”

The guest who was “targeted” by Pei Yi was a little unhappy, and put on a brave face to whitewash himself. “That’s not what I meant, Young Master Pei can’t take a joke.”

The second half of the sentence was full of accusation.

Pei Yi recognized this voice as the one who had just encouraged the other guests to let their children seize the opportunity.

“Joke?” Pei Yi’s face suddenly darkened, and he asked in a low voice, “Who are you? What qualifications do you have to joke with me?”

“Since you’ve been invited to the birthday banquet, don’t hide in here and speak unclear words!”

The person Pei Yi accused was He Feng, the eldest young master of Yuyang Real Estate. This person had relied on his family’s income since he was young and was accustomed to talking nonsense.

He was currently almost thirty seven-or-eight years old, and still didn’t have a handle on his words.

“…….”

Pei Yi didn’t have much standing among these wealthy families.

Since he wasn’t deliberately picking a fight, he could just say it was a “joke” and then they could let it pass and ignore each other.

He Feng didn’t expect Pei Yi to take it so seriously and point fingers at him!

“Young Master Pei, what did I say that was unclear? In the entire Imperial Capital, who doesn’t know that you and Mr. Bo only have a business marriage?”

He Feng paused, then added vaguely, “Aren’t you also greedy for power? How can you make assumptions?”

To put it nicely, it was a marriage, but to put it badly, it was just a tool for profit!

Now that Bo Yueming had regained his sight and taken over Bo Group, Pei Yi was actually putting on airs. Who did he think he was!

How could a relationship maintained by a contract count?

Pei Yi initially originally didn’t want to make a big deal of this matter on the day of Old Mrs. Bo’s birthday party, but not only did He Feng not feel guilty about saying the wrong thing, he actually made it worse.

The coldness in his eyes became more obvious as he walked forward step by step. “Yes, ah, it’s a business marriage. Then why were you reluctant to send your family members to the Bo family for marriage?”

When Bo Yueming lost power and became blind, these people hid faster than ever!

Now that they saw him taking over as the director of Bo Group, they were starting to have crooked thoughts? And they used the words “it’s a joke” to cover it up?

“You listen to me well—”

“I, Pei Yi, don’t covet the Bo family’s power or wealth. Even if I leave the Bo family and lose the shell of ‘marriage,’ I can still afford to live.”

“Also, when Bo Yueming was ignored and mocked by you at banquets, I was the one who accompanied him!”

“When he was ‘driven’ to Wencheng by design, the person who accompanied him was also me!”

From beginning to end, this relationship was paved with the confidence he gave himself, as well as the courage Bo Yueming gave him.

“You want to pry into my corner?” Pei Yi looked around coldly and said in a loud voice, “Unless I don’t want him, no one else will have a chance!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hearty voice of approval rang out, “Well said.”

The curtain used to divide the rest area from the banquet hall was pulled up, and Pei Yi, He Feng, and the others turned their heads to look—

At some unknown point, Mrs. Bo had come to stand outside the curtain, accompanied by Bo Yueming and others.

In addition, many guests in the banquet hall were paying attention.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s eyes mid-air and quickly looked away.

When he saw Old Mrs. Bo, the fighting spirit in his heart instantly turned into apologies. “Grandma, I’m sorry, I, I shouldn’t have…..”

Said this at your birthday party.

Before he could finish his apology, Bo Peizhi, who had seen through everything, affirmed, “Good boy, you’re right.”

Her eyes swept over He Feng and the others in the rest area one by one, and she criticized them directly, “They are the ones who are outrageous! They have lived to this age and still haven’t figured it out?”

“How can there be parents who want to let their sons and daughters snatch a man who’s already in a relationship? Their faces are thicker than a city wall!”

The guests present talked in succession, most of them agreeing with Old Mrs. Bo’s remarks.

Surrounded by these gazes, He Feng averted his eyes and no longer possessed the energy he had before. The other four people were even more red-faced and ashamed, and felt nearly sick to death—

It was all that loud-mouthed He Feng’s fault! If someone exposes you, you should admit defeat! But he still had to fight!

If this matter today were to spread, not only would they lose face, but their children would also have their reputations damaged and become the laughingstocks of others!

Pei Yi watched Old Mrs. Bo speak on his behalf. Tapping the corner of his mouth slightly, he glanced at his lover in his peripheral vision and then quickly moved his gaze away.

Bo Yueming could see his kitten’s suppressed anger, and when he saw the other’s eyes deliberately looking away from him, he walked up to protect him securely without saying a word.

Bo Yueming’s gaze was gentle and lingering. Apart from his lover, there was nothing else in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance you were coming back?”

Only in front of Bo Yueming would Pei Yi show his childish side. He gave a meaningful hum and said, “Why can’t I sneak back to protect what’s mine?”

Bo Yueming couldn’t restrain his smile. “No one can pry me away from you.”

They didn’t deliberately amplify their voices, but they didn’t deliberately lower them either. Two or three simple sentences were enough for everyone present to see clearly—

Where was this a business marriage between two people? Using each other for their own benefits?

Looking at Bo Yueming’s eyes fixed on Pei Yi’s face, a never before seen smile at the corners of his mouth, didn’t this explain the true relationship between the two?

It was very good!

Old Mrs. Bo was happy to see this, but in the blink of an eye, the dissatisfaction of a top boss overflowed again. “Who put these people on the guest list? They still haven’t been sent away!”

---

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Chapter Ninety-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Nine

Regarding Huo Fenglie’s speculation, Bai Su disagreed.

“Shrewd fellows like Rong Shiming like to play with these things the most, and there are rumors that he is skilled at it. Didn’t Lao Qin and the others propose asking him to try unlocking your brocade box?”

However, subsequent investigation revealed that although Rong Shiming was good at it, he was far less capable than the mechanism-breaking master they had found before, so they gave up on the idea.

“Although we don’t know much about Liu Xiaozhu, did you hear what his two cousins just said? And he’s also lost his memory, so the possibility of winning is too low……it’s so pitiful that he’ll be forced to lose face before leaving. It’s fortunate that he’s actually leaving, and the humiliation will only be temporary.” Bai Su said encouragingly: “Otherwise, how about you go forward later and waive the excessive punishment?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer.

Bai Su saw Huo Fenglie’s reaction and said with surprise: “You really think he will win?”

Huo Fenglie paused, then said: “Looking at his expression, he doesn’t seem to think he will lose.”

Not only did he think this way, but his eyes were narrowed and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. He was trying to feign weakness regardless of the embarrassment in order to measure the competition and gain advantages for himself.

Bai Su was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said: “Why don’t we make a bet? If he really beats Rong Shiming, then…..let him try to unlock the brocade box for you?”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, and there was finally a difference in his reaction when he looked at Bai Su.

Bai Su teased: “It’ll be a miracle if he wins. Perhaps this kind of miraculous person will be able to give you a miracle, and also let us see what secrets that mysterious master hid in the brocade box back then.”

Huo Fenglie did not respond to the bet. The crowd had already discussed the competition method.

A few relatively impartial people would go and select two groups of small toys, nine in each group. The two people would randomly select a group, and there would be little difference in difficulty. It would depend on their luck whether they encountered familiar ones. The two of them would then select the tenth toy for each other, which would be considered the final level. The harder it was, the better.

They would start solving at the same time, with a time limit of one stick of incense to see who could complete their ten first. Of course, if someone couldn’t solve it midway, they would be considered the loser.

Two long tables were arranged in the square, and ten trays covered in red cloth were placed on the tables in sequence. The two people were not allowed to observe in advance. They must complete one before they were able to see the next.

Before the game even started, Rong Shiming was making wild remarks. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t finish the first nine. I’ll give you a chance. As long as you can finish the last one, you’ll win.”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows. This young man was quite confident. “Then, thank you very much.”

The mechanism box he chose for Rong Shiming was at least the most difficult among the small toys he saw. He looked at the red cloth at the farthest end of his row, which was also something square and upright. He guessed that what Rong Shiming had chosen for him was also a mechanism box.

With everyone watching, the competition officially began. As soon as the order was given, Rong Shiming quickly lifted the red cloth and saw that it looked familiar. He felt proud for a moment, thinking that the heavens were on his side. This kind of iron frame lock could be solved in three breaths.

Rong Shiming had already begun to imagine that Liu Zhenqing would fail to defeat him later, so he pinned his hopes on the last piece of red cloth. After it was opened, he would see what kind of wonderful expression the other would wear when he saw what it was.

As he thought, the thing in his hand loosened and split into two parts, and was solved smoothly.

Not a moment after, he heard gasps of surprise all around him.

Rong Shiming sneered, and was about to give Liu Zhenqing a contemptuous look when he saw a pair of fair and slender hands put down an irregular iron ring.

Rong Shiming’s pupils shrank. He quickly raised his head and saw Liu Zhenqing smiling at him, already preparing to uncover the next piece of red cloth.

There was only a slight difference in speed between the two of them. Rong Shiming took a glance and found that the contraption was no simpler than the one in his hand. It turned out that the astonished exclamations just now were also for Liu Zhenqing.

Rong Shiming cursed inwardly, but didn’t feel panicked at all. He just thought Liu Zenqing got lucky.

But a second exclamation sounded at the same time he solved the second level. Rong Shiming’s heart shook. He looked over and saw parts scattered on the table.

It was about the same time once more. Liu Zhenqing had just finished it.

Rong Shiming immediately started the third one. This time he went all out, no longer doing it casually, with the fastest speed and the most focused attention.

But this time, the exclamation sounded just before he solved it.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth, before, after, or at the same time, the progress rate was tight.

Rong Shiming was confused. Since he had started playing this game, he had never been chased so pressingly, nor was he overtaken by anyone. This was a fatal blow to his self-confidence, and he couldn’t help but panic in his technique.

He seemed to be able to hear the discussions around him.

“Isn’t Young Master Rong the best at Thousand Locks?”

“But Young Master Liu seems to be even more capable, ah.”

“Is it that he’s lucky?”

“How can it be that someone who doesn’t play much can still play so well? He must have some skills.”

“That’s true. I don’t know how to solve several of them. This Young Master Liu is truly capable. I’m at a loss, it’s incredible.”

“You can say that again. This was supposed to be a show of power, but it turned into a slap to the face. It’s really funny.”

Rong Shiming’s pupils shrank uncontrollably. Thinking of Liu Zhenqing’s strange attitude before, he panicked. Could it be that his investigation got it wrong, or that Liu Zhenqing had been hiding his strength? In fact, he was the one pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.

Rong Shiming was suddenly angry at being tricked. He grew impatient, and his hands became even more disorganized. Now his mind was filled with thoughts about when the other party would finish next. Especially when he was reaching the completion stage, his thoughts became more and more uncontrollable, and he would think, is the next exclamation about to come?

At the seventh and eighth levels, Rong Shiming’s obviously disordered mind slowed down his speed. Although he solved them, it took many attempts.

Rong Shiming’s heart beat wildly. He felt that he should be far away from the other party, but suddenly found that the other person was at the same place as him.

He took a sneak peek, and it seemed that Liu Zhenqing was also looking at him.

Was he watching his progress because he couldn’t finish it and was worried about being left behind? So he had just gotten lucky before? Now the fact that he was no good at it would finally be revealed?

Had he just frightened himself before?

Rong Shiming suddenly gained a little more confidence and regrouped. Even though he was still closely followed, he still felt that he could get rid of the opponent on the ninth level.

The ninth one was also a mechanism type, and was a bit difficult. When Rong Shiming was halfway through earnestly solving it, a sudden exclamation caught him off guard.

He turned his head in disbelief and saw with wide eyes that Liu Zhenqing had already completed it. 

This time, he had actually surpassed his speed.

“Im…..impossible. You must have…..” After a closer look, Rong Shiming couldn’t say a word. The people who chose the toys were fair, and they were all around the same level of difficulty.

There were constant exclamations all around. Many people looked closely, but had to admit that Liu Zhenqing had won.

Liu Zhenqing raised the mechanical toy in his hand and said with a smile: “I lucked out and happened to get this one. Young Master Rong, I won’t wait for you.”

As he spoke, he went to uncover the last piece of red cloth.

And Rong Shiming watched him with eyes wide open, forgetting to unlock the remaining mechanism in his hands. It wasn’t until Liu Zhenqing touched the last red cloth, underneath which was the “death penalty” he had personally selected for him, that a twisted smile appeared on Rong Shiming’s face.

Let him see if Liu Zhenqing dared to win!

The First Princess was also among those who wore expectant expressions.

Everyone else was anxiously awaiting the last level of the competition, watching curiously to see what puzzle Rong Shiming had prepared for Liu Zhenqing.

The two brothers of the Liu family had already excitedly gathered around Liu Zhenqing on the left and right as protectors of the law. They had never expected that Liu Zhenqing could be so capable, capable enough to suppress others. And he looked very relaxed when he went up. Their dignity was saved!

Bai Su was also amazed as he sat in his seat. “I didn’t expect your guess to be right. He actually won. Young Master Liu usually hides his skills, but he’s so capable. Ai, Zanyuan, you…..”

When he turned around, he found that Huo Fenglie was no longer watching the game, but was lost in thought.

“Why aren’t you interested anymore all of a sudden? Isn’t it amazing?” Bai Su said doubtfully.

“They’re about the same level. Average,” Huo Fenglie said lightly.

Bai Su didn’t think so, because from Huo Fenglie’s perspective, he could only see the result, not the process. But Bai Su’s perspective was just right to see the look on Liu Zhenqing’s face.

If Bai Su’s conjecture wasn’t wrong…..Liu Zhenqing was like a fox. He was watching Rong Shiming’s progress from beginning to end and adjusting his speed of completion. His eyes rarely fell on the small toys in his hand. Other than a glance when he first took it, he would then look at Rong Shiming and control his hand speed while solving it.

Although Bai Su felt that at this point, it was completely possible for him to slaughter the other and there was no need to keep a low profile and give the opponent face, Liu Zhenqing maintained his slight advantage until the end. For each level, he used the shortest path to solve the puzzle. Although his hand speed wasn’t flashy, there was never an “attempt” or “repeat” situation. This was simply outrageous, freakish strength.

So in terms of strength, Liu Zhenqing should be far stronger than Rong Shiming, of the sort that could not be touched from beginning to end.

This kind of prowess was completely worth letting him try Huo Fenglie’s brocade box.

Just as Bai Su was about to explain the real situation to Huo Fenglie, the originally lively scene of the competition became eerily quiet. One could almost hear a pin drop.

It was as if the scene had been frozen, making the two look up in surprise. Following everyone’s gazes, they found that they were all watching Liu Zhenqing lift the red cloth to reveal the final puzzle.

And that was…..a very distinct jade Rubik’s Cube.

Bai Su’s face sank, and in an instant, he felt the person next to him release powerful murderous intent.

Most of the people present were frightened and flustered, not daring to speak as they cautiously looked at the three Liu cousins.

At this time, the second and third cousins were pale, even more so than when they were humiliated just now. They were even provoked to the point of losing their composure and roaring at Rong Shiming, “Rong Shiming, what do you mean by this?”

“Young Master Rong, this is a competition. What is your purpose in doing this?”

Liu Zhenqing’s feelings were not as profound, but after the last incident in the restaurant, he also knew that this taboo was likely in connection with him. Now he finally knew what Rong Shiming had here waiting for him. He had underestimated him before.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Rong Shiming, who raised his eyes and smiled. He no longer appeared as if he had suffered from a blow, and instead, he proudly completed his ninth level. “This is also one of the Thousand Locks. Why can’t it be used? Could it be that you can’t, or that you won’t, ah? Logically speaking, you should be the best at it.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the third cousin almost jumped up, but the second cousin quickly stopped him and said with difficulty: “This is clearly forbidden. Young Master Rong has gone to great lengths to embarrass us.”

“Forbidden? There is no specific law that it can’t be played with, but some people just don’t dare to play,” Rong Shiming said with a smile.

Don’t dare to play. Of course they didn’t dare!

Everyone knew that the Rubik’s Cube was brought into this world by the treacherous minister, Liu Zhenqing, and that it was also the thing he played with most often. It was said that when you saw him playing with the Rubik’s Cube that hung from his waist in court, he was about to cause trouble again, and a bloody incident would happen soon. It was simply more accurate than the King of Hell’s Book of Life and Death. So once he went to court and was seen playing with his Rubik’s Cube, everyone couldn’t help but be on tenterhooks.

Although the Rubik’s Cube itself had no meaning, for the Zhou Dynasty, which was shrouded in the shadow of the traitor, everyone still voluntarily shunned it.

Fans of it mostly played at home, so it was somewhat shocking to see one in the open like this.

What was even more frightening was that when the Rubik’s Cube and members of the Liu family appeared at the same time, who could not think of the treacherous minister?

It could be said that anyone in the Zhou Dynasty could play the Rubik’s Cube, just not the Liu family.

With a click, Rong Shiming’s ninth level was completed, and he continued on to his tenth level with a smile on his face. Even if Liu Zhenqing had chosen the most difficult one for him, he was still at a standstill, unable to withstand his opponent in the end.

“Why, if you don’t hurry up, you’re going to lose,” Rong Shiming said with a sly smile.

Touching the Rubik’s Cube incurred fear in the Imperial merchant Liu family.

But if he didn’t touch it, he would lose the competition, and the three young men would lose all their dignity.

The second and third cousins were unwilling to give up, and asked those around them to speak a word of fairness. 

This was the correct “recognition of social rules,” so nobody dared to stand up and defend the three Liu family members. If they said anything, it would seem to be indirectly helping the traitor escape guilt.

In the end, the two of them were stupid enough to ask the First Princess to make the decision.

The First Princess only said lightly: “It’s a normal competition, what do you want me to do?”

The two people were desperate. Suppressing their resentment, they could only look at Liu Zhenqing.

“Admit defeat!”

The Liu family desperately wanted others to forget their relationship with the traitorous minister, and didn’t dare touch it. If word reached the ears of the court that Young Master Liu was adept at the Rubik’s Cube, just like the traitor back then…..just thinking about it made their heads feel unsteady on their necks.

They would rather be humiliated.

Liu Zhenqing looked at them with some surprise. Just as he was about to speak, he heard that villain Rong Shiming say: “Are you giving up? First Young Master Liu, I advise you to give it a try. Perhaps you can succeed. Hahaha!” Rong Shiming smiled proudly and raised his eyebrows at Liu Zhenqing, tilting his head in the direction of Huo Fenglie. The meaning was obvious.

No one will help you this time!

Hadn’t Huo Fenglie helped Liu Zhenqing repeatedly?

Then let Huo Fenglie reminisce. The Liu family was related by blood to the treacherous minister. He had recognized an enemy as a friend. The Huo family’s blood debt should never be forgotten!

Perhaps Huo Fenglie had now begun to regret helping Liu Zhenqing before.

Liu Zhenqing rather admired Rong Shiming’s conspiracy. One move put him in a dilemma, and also instantly made his most likely backer unclear about who was friend or foe. Now that things had come to this, he didn’t expect the guy who had dug up his grave to lend a helping hand. Just as long as he didn’t spoil the happy event of him leaving tomorrow.

As for admitting defeat…..Liu Zhenqing refused. It was only that this time it was a little bit troublesome, and he had to think of a foolproof solution.

Liu Zhenqing’s silence seemed to everyone to be a sign of his inner suffering and struggle. He probably didn’t want to be humiliated, but didn’t dare touch the Rubik’s Cube. This was really the end of the road.

The First Princess said impatiently: “Young Master Liu, either give up or continue, don’t waste everyone’s time.”

Rong Shiming smiled and said: “Cousin, I am willing to give him some time to accept his fate.” This sort of deathbed struggle was what he liked to watch the most! He still hadn’t seen Liu Zhenqing’s expression of pain and despair yet.

There was a lot of discussion going around, most of it urging Liu Zhenqing to accept his fate.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing’s eyes gleamed and he started to reach for the Rubik’s Cube. But in the next second, there was a flash of cold white light and a bang.

The table on which the Rubik’s Cube was placed split in half before Liu Zhenqing, and the items on it instantly rolled to the ground. The loud bang frightened the people around, and they backed away.

Looking closer, it could be seen that the white light was a teacup lid. It had split the table in half, and finally hit the foot of the First Princess, who was sitting in front of the table. She froze in fright, and the guards instinctively moved forward.

And the only person present capable of doing this was……

Everyone turned their heads and looked over in horror, only to see that at some point, Huo Fenglie had walked over from his seat to stand there, his gaze like a sharp sword unsheathed as he looked at everything with a lack of anger that was nonetheless frightening.

Sure enough, the treacherous minister was General Huo’s weak point.

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Chapter Twenty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Three

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Suddenly, Bai Su couldn’t help but muffle his laughter. This was the reaction that a person should have.

“Was that an adult coaxing a child, or was he just talking nonsense after being burnt out by fever? Zhanyuan, I didn’t expect you to have such a side. Is such a ridiculous thing worthy of your consideration? I didn’t believe such things when I was a child, and I don’t know what sort of lunatic would make up such strange ideas. If people could resurrect from the dead in this world, then my brother and your brother would have……many, many people would have come back, but why aren’t there any? If this was true, then why has the Board of Astronomy and Mathematics still not researched a way to make the Emperor immortal?”

Huo Fenglie paused. Then the teacup in his hand shattered with a crack, and tea spilled out.

Bai Su was startled, and quickly helped to change out the tea cup. He sent Huo Fenglie a strange look, wondering if it was his misunderstanding or if his words had exposed some sort of far-fetched idea and struck a blow to Huo Fenglie.

Suddenly, dark red flashed in Huo Fenglie’s eyes. Bai Su saw this and was given a big shock. He immediately said: “Zhanyuan, you…..”

“I’m fine.” Huo Fenglie shook off the liquid on his hand. His face returned to the indifference he had worn for several years. A trace of self-mockery curled up the corners of his originally tight mouth, and his whole aura dimmed.

Bai Su was about to persuade Huo Fenglie to go back and rest, but at this moment, the buzz around them suddenly became louder.

Bai Su raised his head at the oddity and let out a sigh. 

Huo Fenglie ignored it, but the next moment, a clear, distinct voice seemed to come from far away, with a rising intonation and its own unique smile. 

“General Huo, Young Master Bai.”

Huo Fenglie looked up from where he was sitting, and for an instant, the sun was so dazzling that he couldn’t see the face of the person in front of him clearly. He could only see the tall, straight body, his figure unconsciously canted to the right and his head tilted slightly.

It was an all too familiar posture, stunning Huo Fenglie.

He was like a young boy sitting obediently on a stool waiting for someone, until that person called, “Er-gou, let’s go.”

The boy looked up and saw a person standing in this posture with the light behind him, tilting his head and looking at him with a smile. “What? Have you waited long? Are you sleepy?”

The expression on Huo Fenglie’s face did not change, remaining cold. He just looked at the visitor blankly. Bai Su greeted the visitor in turn with a smile. 

“Young Master Liu.”

Liu Zhenqing bowed to the two of them and said: “I just want to thank the two of you for helping me survive. Thank you very much.”

“Young Master Liu, you’re welcome. Please sit down…..” Bai Su said.

Huo Fenglie’s lack of response made Liu Zhenqing, who had taken the initiative to come over, feel guilty. Examining his face, he didn’t look too good either. Was he still angry with him, or had he misunderstood him like everyone else and was uneasy about his harassment?

Liu Zhenqing maintained a stiff smile and continued to bow, saying: “General Huo, I also came to apologize. In order to protect myself, I talked nonsense in front of everyone and besmirched your reputation. It was truly an offense.”

Huo Fenglie’s pupils quivered. “En.”

What did ‘en’ mean? That he didn’t care about it and didn’t hold a grudge? Er-gou never talked much in the past, but why did he feel that he talked even less now?

Liu Zhenqing’s brow twitched, and he continued: “If General Huo blames me, I will accept any punishment you wish. And if you don’t blame me, I would like to leave the capital tomorrow. I have troubled General Huo.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer immediately, which worried Liu Zhenqing. He continued: “General Huo, I am just a nobody. I offended the Eighth Princess today, and I fear that if I leave any later, I will die.”

Bai Su sent a piercing look at Huo Fenglie, who seemed to be in a daze. He thought it must be due to his old injury, so he answered on his behalf, “You can rest assured of this. Since it was the Emperor’s order for her to be taken away by force, she will be placed into confinement when she goes back. In the short term, she will not be able to reach beyond the palace. And in the end, this matter had been an unreasonable disaster for you. Zhanyuan will solve it.”

The Eighth Princess was only the beginning. Liu Zhenqing could only say: “In fact, I was going to leave the capital yesterday with General Huo’s assistance. I really didn’t lie about this, but now…..” Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie and said shamelessly: “Didn’t I offend General Huo? I fear that General Huo won’t help me in his anger, hehehe…..”

Huo Fenglie finally answered: “Rest assured, tomorrow…..will be arranged according to your previous words.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, General Huo. Then I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll take my leave.” Having said this, he left without hesitation.

Bai Su was a little surprised. He had seen Liu Xiaozhu’s entangled attitude toward Huo Fenglie before, and it was unusual for him not to stay longer at this moment. After all, he had just invited him to sit down. He didn’t even grasp this kind of opportunity……it seemed that it was as He Lan and Qin Yu had said. Liu Xiaozhu had even forgotten his love for Huo Fenglie after losing his memory.

But there was one thing that Bai Su found strange.

“Why did he choose this troublesome time to leave? Is he in a hurry?”

“I don’t know.” Liu Zhenqing’s behavior was indeed strange, but Huo Fenglie didn’t intend to look into it too deeply.

“If the Emperor begins to investigate the Imperial Examination fraud, it will be even more difficult to get out of the city, and it will truly depend on you.” As Bai Su spoke, he glanced at the First Princess and Rong Shiming, then said slowly, “The premise is that you don’t cause any trouble today. After all, you can’t antagonize the First Princess too much, otherwise you will be accused of having merits so great that they threaten the throne.”

The outing banquet was full of young people, so there were naturally various games, competitions, and contests for peers to show off amongst themselves.

Thinking way back, there were two people who dominated the top of the list at such gatherings – Liu Zhenqing in the literary category, and Huo Feihan in the martial category. The two of them monopolized all the fame, praise, and admiration.

As for Li Xingruo? That girl alone had the best medical skills, and no one could compare with her. She was not good at anything that talented girls should traditionally be good at, and she never cared about the looks and comments of others. She was just herself. Therefore, this sort of gathering was of benefit to her, in that she could gather people to study their pulses. She could be considered a special existence.

And because they often traveled as a group of three, they became known as the “Three Heroes of the Capital” at that time: Wu Huo, Cai Liu, and Yi Li.^[1] They had also become the most colorful trio of two men and one woman in the capital.

Nowadays, the games played were basically the same. Every time there was an event, there were people eager to come forward and show off. Even the two cousins had gone up a few times. Their qualifications were mediocre and they gave no outstanding performances, but they had no self-awareness and insisted on getting involved.

The only ones who didn’t participate at all were Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie.

No one on Huo Fenglie’s side dared to challenge him, and who would invite Liu Zhenqing? For good or ill, Liu Zhenqing didn’t care about his face, and adopted the three principles of ‘no’: “I don’t understand, I don’t know how, I’m not good at it.”

Although he received a lot of contempt, at least he was safe.

However, this calm was soon broken. The noisy crowd soon attracted the attention of everyone present. Even the First Princess, who was playing alone with the girls, came to take charge of the overall situation. “What is this?”

“Cousin, we’re competing to solve the Thousand Locks. Someone lost and refuses to admit it.” After speaking, Rong Shiming glanced at Third Young Master Liu, who was shaking with anger.

Thousand Locks was a competitive game that had emerged more than ten years ago. The game consisted of several people randomly selecting small toys and contraptions to unlock, either taking turns or going at the same time. If someone couldn’t solve it within a certain amount of time, that person was out. This tested both ability and luck.

After all, there were duplications in the small toy market. People who liked to play might have been exposed to them and already know the solutions, so at this time, the competition was to see who was faster. 

However, small toys were updated quickly, so in order to make the party more interesting, the organizer of this kind of game would usually find new products for everyone to play.

“The items were chosen at random. I’m not making things difficult for you, you agreed to the bet yourself. Third Young Master Liu, please.” Rong Shiming finished speaking and looked at the third cousin proudly.

Some fellows around him echoed Rong Shiming and shouted, “Get down and bark like a dog!”

“Do it quickly, bark!”

The third cousin said furiously: “You…..you all banded together to deceive me. You pretended to be incompetent and tricked me into the game!”

“It’s true that we’re not good at it, but we’re better than you,” Rong Shiming said with a smile. “Hurry up, Third Young Master Liu. If you don’t bark, everyone will laugh at you for daring to bet but not paying up.”

“Brother…..” The second cousin was truly anxious now, and sent the third cousin a look.

The third cousin’s expression was ugly. He could only plead for mercy, hoping to get a different punishment. This was really too insulting.

Rong Shiming raised his eyebrows and said: “It is impossible to change it, unless we play again and Second Young Master Liu competes with me. If he wins, the punishment will be canceled. If he loses, he can also get down and bark like a dog!”

There was a burst of laughter as soon as these words came out, and a burst of shame and anger on the faces of the two Liu cousins, but the third cousin was unwilling to accept the punishment. The second cousin hesitated, but finally decided to accept it.

He didn’t do it so much out of brotherhood, but because he was better at this than the third cousin. He had also taken over a caravan that bought and sold small toys, and when he was observing the competition between the two just now, he felt that Rong Shiming couldn’t beat him.

But after a while, the second cousin’s face turned even uglier than the third cousin’s, because he had also lost. Although he got lucky this time and they were all small toys that he had played with, he actually lost to Rong Shiming in terms of speed. He finally understood that when dealing with the third cousin, Rong Shiming hadn’t used the entirety of his abilities. He hid it, just waiting to trick them.

The jeering around them grew louder and louder. The two of them were really going to be forced to get down and bark like dogs. Even the First Princess was not going to stop this farce.

When Rong Shiming saw that the two of them weren’t moving, he said: “How about you find someone to help you bet again?”

This sentence gave them hope. They quickly looked at the people around them for help, but who would dare to step forward and touch their misfortune? And even though there were people who didn’t get along with Rong Shiming, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to get into trouble in the game that Rong Shiming was best at. Only these newcomers who hadn’t attended many parties would step into the trap.

Seeing that no one was willing to step forward to help, the two of them were so anxious that the veins on their foreheads practically popped out.

At this time, Rong Shiming narrowed his eyes, feeling that the time was almost up. He was about to add another sentence when a voice suddenly sounded from outside the crowd.

“I’ll play.”

As soon as these words came out, the crowd moved aside. Liu Zhenqing, who had been hiding at the tables, unwilling to participate in the games, actually stepped out.

Rong Shiming’s eyes lit up, and he watched eagerly as Liu Zhenqing walked over.

The two cousins’ faces were full of disappointment. They had previously come in a carriage with Liu Zhenqing, where they had seen him play with the Nine Links without solving any of them. Naturally, they didn’t believe in Liu Zhenqing. Little did they know that this was Liu Zhenqing’s habit when waking up in the morning, just playing with something in his hands without solving it at all.

“How can you do this, ah! Don’t humiliate us!”

“You weren’t good at this before you lost your memory, and now you won’t remember the simplest ones!”

In this competition of skill, it would be better to kneel down and beg Rong Shiming for forgiveness, and maybe he would let them off. After all, they knew they must have been targeted because of Liu Zhenqing.

The two of them hinted at him with meaningful looks.

“I don’t know much about this, but I can’t watch my two brothers be humiliated, ah. And…..even if I didn’t volunteer, Young Master Rong would have called me up, right?”

Liu Zhenqing regarded Rong Shiming with a half smile. He had been paying attention to this game from the beginning because it happened to be something he was interested in. It made his hands itchy. But from the start of the gambling, Liu Zhenqing was aware of Rong Shiming’s intentions.

Without him going up to play on his own, Rong Shiming couldn’t put his plan into action and could only fish out his target through the two Liu family members.

Rong Shiming said with a malicious smile: “Brothers naturally share weal and woe. Could it be that you would watch your two younger brothers be punished while you stood aside? How improper, ba.”

“Of course it’s improper, aren’t I here now? Isn’t it the same bet?” If he returned home like this, he would probably not be able to leave the capital if his two uncles and aunts made a fuss. And even if one plan failed, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be another one, so it was better to pick what he was good at.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression revealed no timidity at all. Rong Shiming’s eyes narrowed. After all, he had suffered so much because of this person that it was nearly a conditioned reflex. But whether in his own investigation or what the two Liu family members had just revealed, he shouldn’t be good at this. Was he already prepared to be humiliated together and gain a good reputation for brotherhood?

Everyone thought the same. It made sense. It was better for three people to be humiliated together than for one person to live an ignoble existence, and their reputations would be relatively better.

The two brothers had nothing to say. It couldn’t get any worse.

Rong Shiming hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help saying: “After so many opportunities have been given, it naturally can’t be so simple. This time, the stakes must be raised.”

“Oh? What are the stakes?” Liu Zhenqing had expected this. He couldn’t just imitate a dog barking. The damage from the blow would be too low.

“If you lose, in addition to your two younger brothers being punished, you will also get down and bark like a dog, but also…..” Rong Shiming suddenly raised his leg and stepped on the chair beside him, saying fiercely, “Crawl through here!”

Thunder struck, and everyone gasped simultaneously. This was even more humiliating than barking like a dog.

The First Princess spoke in a timely manner, “Shiming, that…..”

“Cousin, it depends on whether or not Young Master Liu dares to go through with it. If he dares not, I won’t gamble, and his two younger brothers will carry out their punishment,” Rong Shiming sneered.

Everyone couldn’t help but look at Liu Zhenqing, feeling that this request was a bit too much. Knowing that he would lose, Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t suffer such humiliation for his two cousins.

They saw Liu Zhenqing raise his eyebrows as if he couldn’t decide. It seemed that he was very hesitant, and would probably refuse. The crowd was disappointed. After all, they all had the mentality of watching scandals and seeking novelty.

But the next second, Liu Zhenqing nodded and said, “Sure.”

Everyone stared at Liu Zhenqing in astonishment. They weren’t hallucinating. He had actually agreed.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing had hesitated just now because he thought, isn’t this a bit childish? He was a little suspicious of Rong Shiming’s true intentions. Was it really as simple as demeaning someone? It would be a shame not to injure or maim him after all this effort, ah.

Rong Shiming was also a little surprised. He had prepared other tricks to force him to agree, but didn’t expect that it would be so simple. Was there something fishy going on? Rong Shiming couldn’t help feeling shaken.

“Really?”

“Of course. But Young Master Rong raised the stakes. I can’t just assist people, isn’t this bullying me? If Young Master Rong loses, how about doing as you said? Do you dare?”

Rong Shiming scoffed. He felt that Liu Zhenqing was bluffing. How could he lose?

“This is a matter of course.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately turned to look at the First Princess up above and said, “Your Highness bears witness for us.”

The First Princess was taken aback, and thought that this member of the Liu family was truly annoying. He actually thought he could win. Wasn’t he just adding this because he didn’t want her to stand up for Rong Shiming and prevent him from being punished?

“All right,” the First Princess said coldly. She remembered that nuisance being extremely good at this. Someone had once challenged him at a party. He took advantage of the situation to ostentatiously show off his skills, and blindfolded himself to compete with the other. Then he directly defeated them, causing their innermost being to crumble, and they never dared to play this kind of game again.

Now, members of his clan were going to be humiliated because of this game. How amusing. It was simply retribution.

And…..did the First Young Master of the Liu family think that Rong Shiming was just trying to humiliate him? The fun was yet to come!

. . . . . . .

“This is really…..” Bai Su watched the development of this situation and said, “Sure enough, Rong Shiming really doesn’t intend to let Liu Xiaozhu go. Zhanyuan, in this situation, if Liu Xiaozhu loses, it seems…..it won’t be convenient for you to help.”

After talking at length, he noticed that no one was paying attention and turned around to look. Huo Fenglie was watching the crowd with a heavy gaze, uncertainty on his face.

Then he said: “Perhaps…..he won’t lose.”

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[1] Wu (martial) Huo, Cai (talent) Liu, and Yi (medical) Li. ⮐

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Chapter Twenty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Two