[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take":3,"chapter-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-73":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","If You Will Not Reject Me, I Wish to Bow and Take You as My Adoptive Father",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2276800,4454,"Chapter 73: Done. The Whole World Now Knows Guan Yu","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-73",73,"\u003Cp>“Aren’t you supposed to be returning Guan Huchen’s remains to Yingxiang Prefecture? Why are you back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong again, Song Changqing was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong glared and snapped, “You’ve served the master your whole life, reaped countless favors from the Guan family—now that the master has just met misfortune, you dare call him by name? You’re an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Changqing replied coldly, “How many ‘favors’ did the Guan family give me? You can ask Guan Huchen or Guan Wenlong—but dare you ask them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, enough—Father may not be dead. Don’t panic...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu lowered her voice and warned, “There are many people watching!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was deeply curious about the grudges and entanglements between Song Changqing and the Guan family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must have been a very dramatic story between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guan Huchen never spoke—she had asked him once, and he’d given her a cold, dark look and told her not to pry—and whenever Song Changqing touched on the subject, he became a clam with a sawed-off mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, glancing around and seeing indeed many people staring in confusion, Song Changqing clamped his lips shut and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Wu beside them exclaimed in surprise, “Miss Yu, you say General Guan may not be dead—what do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before returning to Hualong Pass, Xiao Yu had discussed this with Guan Zhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make Guan Huchen’s later “resurrection” less shocking to the world, they could plant a warning before the news of the “Death of the Great Shu Cavalry Commandant” spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Marquis of Radiant Sun, Huchen was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in Shu, “The Divine-Eyed Tiger” was still a famous name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, as Commandant of the Luye Cavalry, his death should have been recorded in the official gazette and transmitted all the way to the Shu King in Luo Capital. By then, Huchen’s death would be known throughout the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what explanation would they give if, days later, Huchen simply walked out of the Guan mansion as if nothing had happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City God’s favoritism—using divine authority to alter fate for his descendants—is one thing if done secretly, another entirely if exposed and debated by all under heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong said seriously, “The master lost his breath, appeared lifeless—but his heart still held a faint warmth. Yes, this is the Guan family’s secret life-preserving technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—So don’t keep asking about the technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now Chiyan’s steed has taken the master to Yingxiang Prefecture, and our Guan household still has a box of Hua Wu Incense purchased from merchants of Boyi.” Guan Zhong continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Xiao Yu had suggested “the Guan household possessed a divine pill capable of reviving the dead,” but Guan Zhong rejected it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pill that revives the dead is too extravagant—it’s practically an immortal elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the Shu King’s treasury in Luo Capital holds such a medicine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu simply didn’t understand this world as well as Guan Zhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately offered a perfectly reasonable explanation: Hua Wu Incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Wu Incense comes from the overseas nation of Boyi; it is a miraculous spice that perfumes earth and stone upon contact; when applied to rotting wood or decaying grass, it restores greenery and causes flowers to bloom again; when used on charred bones, it regenerates flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu thought this was “an immortal elixir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guan Zhong insisted the Guan household truly possessed a box of Hua Wu Incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dipping a jade stone in it made the stone emit a lingering, intoxicating fragrance; dipping a dead branch in it did indeed restore vitality—but whether it could sprout and bloom, the Guan household had never tested it; too wasteful of the incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Applying it to wounds did accelerate healing. But regenerating flesh from bones? That was exaggerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure Hua Wu Incense alone could not revive Huchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hua Wu Incense was famous—and extremely rare—so this lie was hard to expose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who had seen Huchen’s wounds had never encountered Hua Wu Incense; those who possessed it still couldn’t swear it couldn’t revive Huchen, because quantity could trigger qualitative change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the Guan household had a box of Hua Wu Incense, they still couldn’t confirm whether the legend of dead wood sprouting was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To verify the legend would require consuming vast quantities of Hua Wu Incense—even a whole box might not suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s Hua Wu Incense—perhaps it really could work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the Guan household possessed a box of Hua Wu Incense, the half-baked military physician Wei Wu immediately shed most of his doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if General Guan may not be dead, you still shouldn’t have returned!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Wu spoke, glancing sidelong at Cai Sima, who was directing troops to set up camp far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu understood his meaning—but felt only contempt, not the slightest warmth or gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when facing a dead Huchen, this man showed no respect at all, grumbling and half-refusing to carry the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Huchen might live again, his loyalty instantly jumped to eighty points—he dared openly “betray” a noble of the Upper Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For Father, for Great Qin, for the Lord of Western Shu and its people, I killed Kong Zan—but Kong Zan had accomplices still alive.” Xiao Yu spoke calmly and frankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Wu’s expression froze; his gaze toward her shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, there had been a touch of awe and flattery; now, awe increased by three parts, while seven parts became wariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few more vague replies, he hurriedly took his leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Song Changqing’s gaze toward her carried concern: “Miss Yu, your days ahead will be hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll come every morning to wake you, but the Fire Crow Army sets out early and camps late—traveling hundreds of miles a day, more exhausting than when General Guan raced from Hengsha Pass to Feixian Ferry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I’m no delicate lady of the inner chambers.” Xiao Yu shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, military campaigns are clearly not for a lady like me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just one day, Xiao Yu had transformed from a proud little hen strutting with pride into a defeated, featherless rooster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a barbarian—but now she truly believed the people of the Central Kingdom were the real barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their civilized, ritualistic ideals, paired with barbaric physical endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Hengsha Pass to Feixian Ferry, Huchen covered two or three hundred miles in a day and a half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Crow Army covered three hundred miles in a single morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those towering giants of Qin—six feet five or six tall—had no horses; they ran on foot alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t empty-handed—they carried banners, spears, or long blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the Fire Crow Army had a cheat—they marched in formation as three thousand Fire Crows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a fire dragon, they surged across the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, separated from the formation, even with Guan Zhong’s eight swift steeds constantly rotated, she was exhausted like a dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong himself was drooping, disheveled, covered in dust, like a ghost who’d escaped hell from sheer exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancient roads had no cement; running on yellow earth meant dust flew everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, Xiao Yu had been just like him—sweating and dusting at the same time; after half a day’s run, her cheeks and neck were coated in a thick layer of dirt, weighing at least half a catty when scraped off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, after entering the pass, villages and inns lined the road; she bought a veil hat—extended, almost a “broad-brimmed hat”—black gauze that covered not just her face, but most of her body and back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has the Fire Crow Army always marched at this breakneck speed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Crow Army, after all, were living beings; by evening, they finally halted outside a county town called “Rooster Crowing Town.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Radiant Sun and the Fire Crow Army camped outside the city; Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong stayed in the town’s most luxurious inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong first downed a full belly of cold tea, then wiped his mouth and said, “When we hunted down the thirty-six rebel states, we moved even faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We marched day and night without stopping, covering two thousand li in two days and one night, slicing the Lu Kingdom’s Chengguang Army of two hundred thousand into countless fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lu Kingdom’s Chengguang Army was like our Western Shu’s Luye Guards—both the most elite forces of their kingdoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the two hundred thousand Chengguang soldiers were annihilated, the newly raised fifty thousand Lu army surrendered—but were massacred by the Marquis of Radiant Sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve always heard the Qin Iron Cavalry crushed a million troops across the thirty-six states. How many soldiers did the Qin Iron Cavalry have? To slice two hundred thousand Chengguang soldiers, how many would be needed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu didn’t drink the cold tea; she held a green-skinned sweet melon, gnawing until her face was slick with juice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All that remains of the Qin Iron Cavalry—every last soldier—is now in the Fire Crow Army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu gasped: “Just those hundred or so Qin ‘Giant Warriors’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong also took a melon from the basket, chewing as he spoke: “When we crossed the Liusha River, there weren’t just a hundred or so—there were exactly two hundred and fifty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past months of constant warfare, many Qin warriors have died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, two hundred and fifty Qin warriors alone could never have crushed a million allied army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our Shu Kingdom also deployed tens of thousands of elite Luye Guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’ve personally experienced the power of the Three Thousand Fire Crow formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just hundreds of men could slay Golden Immortals—what would happen when tens of thousands pooled their strength?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspect the Eight Immortals of the West chose Feixian Ferry as the assassination site because the terrain is narrow, preventing the Marquis of Radiant Sun from bringing too many troops or forming a proper array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eight Immortals’ tactic was indeed to strip away the Marquis of Radiant Sun’s support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the Flag Gate Illusion or the flood that drowned the camp, none targeted the Marquis directly—they targeted the Fire Crow soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fewer soldiers in the Fire Crow Army, the weaker the Marquis’s power theoretically became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, though the Eight Immortals suffered a crushing defeat, when they saw the Marquis alone on horseback, their hidden assassin still couldn’t resist—and died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Marquis’s magnanimity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found the Eight Immortals too trivial—he deliberately used himself as bait to lure the big fish into the net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Miss Yu available? I am Wang Ren Gui, County Magistrate of Rooster Crowing Town, here to pay respects to Miss Guan Yu and Elder Guan Zhong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong had just eaten half his melon; Xiao Yu was about to pick up her third melon when heavy footsteps approached the door, followed by the enthusiastic cry of a middle-aged man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is the magistrate looking for us? Master Guan, is he here for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guan family was a noble clan—but she was merely an adopted daughter, and Guan Zhong was just a steward to the second elder—why would a county magistrate personally visit them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, don’t go out yet—I’ll go see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Miss Yu was only an adopted daughter, she was still a Guan family lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a noble lady meet an unrelated man without knowing his purpose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, Miss Yu rode hard all day today—everyone on the road saw her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the magistrate came in person, Guan Zhong first leisurely finished his melon, then washed his hands and face, taking the time of a cup of tea, before opening the front gate and bowing repeatedly: “My apologies, Magistrate Wang, for keeping you waiting—I’m covered in dust and couldn’t appear before a noble guest uncleaned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is my fault, Wang, for disturbing Miss Xiao Yu and Director Guan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No disturbance at all, no disturbance—I am merely a newcomer to the county and should have paid my respects at your residence; it was I who was impolite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong spoke with polite formalities and called himself \"this humble servant,\" yet his demeanor and movements were calm, composed, and dignified, while County Magistrate Wang appeared slightly tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging a few pleasantries at the gate, Guan Zhong led County Magistrate Wang into the hall, seated him in the place of honor, and served tea, melons, and fruit; after more idle chatter, he finally turned to the matter at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>County Magistrate Wang said: \"I have come to invite Miss Xiao Yu and Director Guan to reside at the county government office. I have already ordered the head chef of Yayuan Pavilion to prepare a fine banquet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong was somewhat surprised; though the Guan family’s reputation was strong, it had not reached this level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was not Xiang Huchen himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Miss Xiao Yu...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she were the legitimate Tianfeng heiress of the Guan family, she would at most seek help from the local county magistrate when trouble arose, and the magistrate might offer minor assistance—but never come to her door uninvited, with guest quarters and a banquet already prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Excellency, both I and Miss Xiao Yu hold no official rank; why should you go to such trouble?\" Guan Zhong rose from his seat and bowed deeply to County Magistrate Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what County Magistrate Wang’s intentions, when someone offers high honors, one must express gratitude and return the courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>County Magistrate Wang, not foolish, smiled: \"Miss Xiao Yu slew the Hunter Flag Immortal Kong Zan and crippled the 'Bo Yue Hermit' Zhou Lang, aiding the Lord of the Western Sun in defeating the Eight Immortals of the West—her name now resounds throughout the land, worthy of reverence and respect from all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Kong Zan and Zhou Lang are both enemies of our Great Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Miss Xiao Yu has slain one and crippled the other, she has rendered a monumental service to Shu; as an official of Shu, how could I, Wang, fail to receive her with the utmost hospitality?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Zhong felt no sense of being honored; instead, his heart turned cold, and he murmured: \"Only a day has passed—how is it that Miss Xiao Yu’s killing of Kong Zan is already known throughout the land?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu, who had been listening from the side room, felt a jolt inside: Who the hell is using me as a target?!\u003C\u002Fp>",2386,"2026-06-20T00:29:13.334Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","711a72e2e5119a2773e775d66760a031a8343d21e5f32ff19ab9b9d2a8748958","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-74","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-72",840,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fif-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-cover.jpg"]