Chapter 69

“Gao Huan, you fake Xianbei traitor—you betray your brothers and have no sense of loyalty!”

In the tavern, Hou Jing vented his fury at Gao Huan.

Gao Huan, however, still wore a cheerful smile.

Several of Gao Huan’s brothers rose to confront Hou Jing and his followers, but Gao Huan stopped them.

“Hou Jing, it’s been days since we last met—how did you gather so many followers? Sit down!”

Hou Jing plopped down, still seething, refusing to speak to Gao Huan.

Gao Huan poured him wine, then waved his hand. Soon, everyone in the room withdrew.

“Aren’t you the one who betrayed your own lord?”

Hou Jing picked up the wine and drank it down, then still tried to justify himself.

“I was preserving my strength, lying low, waiting for the right moment. Otherwise, if my entire force was wiped out, who in Huai Shuo Town could save my lord?”

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan lowered his gaze, then poured Hou Jing another cup of wine.

“Do you know why Po Liu Han Kong Que didn’t kill you—and even promoted you?”

Hou Jing looked at Gao Huan and sneered:

“Isn’t it because he’s afraid you, He Liuhun, will dominate Huai Shuo Town with your own power?”

Gao Huan didn’t deny it; instead, he leaned closer, deliberately drawing nearer to Hou Jing.

“We’re both from Huai Shuo—we grew up together, know each other inside out. After Huai Shuo Town fell, officials like Sima Ziru and Sun Teng fled, but I came back. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“I couldn’t abandon the people of Huai Shuo!”

Hou Jing glanced at Gao Huan and scoffed:

“Who are you fooling? Sima Ziru and Sun Teng went to join Er Zhu Rong. You’re just a squad leader—why would they refuse you?”

Gao Huan wasn’t angered by Hou Jing’s blunt exposure of his motives.

“I told you—we know each other too well. Even a fart, we know its smell.”

“Then spit it out!”

Gao Huan sat upright, his expression serious.

“To survive in this chaotic age, you need two things: lineage and troops. Sima Ziru and Sun Teng could flee, but I had to stay—I can’t abandon the people of Huai Shuo Town.”

“What does that have to do with betraying my lord?”

“Did the ten thousand shi of grain and thirty thousand cattle and sheep arrive?”

“They have!”

Hou Jing looked at Gao Huan, finally understanding his plan.

“He Liuhun, you’re also eyeing that grain?”

Gao Huan nodded.

“I received word: a Rouran thousand-man vanguard has crossed the desert and reached Mo Nan. Large Rouran forces are following them south. Why is the Rouran Khan in such a hurry to move his court from Mo Bei to Mo Nan? Because he knows the Liuzhen troops are broken—he’s rushing to seize territory!”

In this chaotic age, if you don’t want to end up as the dish on the table, you must hold your own cards. Po Liu Han Kong Que wants to turn us Huai Shuo people into that dish—we can make him sit at the table instead.

Hou Jing hesitated:

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let’s join forces. We already control most of Huai Shuo’s garrison troops. We’ll rescue your lord. After we succeed, I’ll take only one-tenth of the grain.”

“You’re from Huai Shuo too—you can’t bear to see our people enslaved by the Rouran, can you? With one-tenth of the grain as leverage, we Huai Shuo people can escape this prison!”

Hou Jing still hesitated, so Gao Huan urged again:

“The troops of Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan are the fiercest in the land, yet they’re trapped in this northern border. If we march south, what are the mediocre fools of the realm compared to us?”

Hou Jing nodded, finally making up his mind.

“The thousand garrison troops I’ve recently recruited are formidable—they’re nearly as strong as Er Zhu’s Qihu soldiers and my lord’s Han troops.”

Gao Huan froze, his smiling face twitching slightly before returning to normal.

“How many such troops are there?”

Hou Jing, unsuspecting, answered honestly:

“Er Zhu Rong has seven thousand Qihu soldiers. My lord originally had three thousand Han troops, then recruited another two thousand—though these two thousand are slightly weaker.”

After hearing this, Gao Huan swirled his wine bowl, thought for a moment, then said:

“Don’t delay—act quickly!”

In the Huai Shuo Garrison Commander’s residence, Li Shuang lay on his bed, surrounded by over a dozen women of the Po Liu Han clan, fawning over him.

“Come on, Big Wild Brother!”

Li Shuang yawned and sat up.

“Where did we leave off last time?”

“When Jia Young Master met Lin Meimei—what happened after that?”

“That’s when we enter the realm of the immortals…”

Before Li Shuang could finish, one of the women interrupted him.

“Big Wild Brother, I think Jia Young Master and Xue’s noble lady are meant for each other—weren’t they the ones who ended up together?”

“Impossible! Lin Meimei is Jia Young Master’s true love.”

“Lin Meimei’s family is ruined—how could she possibly be worthy of Jia Young Master?”

…

Soon, Li Shuang’s ears filled with arguments calling Xue’s noble lady a scheming harlot and Lin Meimei a homewrecker.

The room’s commotion was so loud that the sudden cries of battle outside went unnoticed.

Until Hou Jing burst in, screaming, sprinting across the courtyard and sliding on his knees right before Li Shuang.

“My lord! Hou Jing has sinned—come too late to rescue you! You’ve suffered so much…”

Hou Jing looked up and saw Li Shuang surrounded by beauties—his face twisted with despair.

Damn it, can you really do whatever you want just because you’re handsome?

Hou Jing’s arrival startled the women, who scattered and hid in corners of the room.

Gao Huan called from outside:

“Hou Jing, did you rescue Big Wild Brother? Hurry up—we don’t have much time!”

“He Liuhun is here too?”

Hou Jing quickly explained:

“My lord, he was forced by Po Liu Han Kong Que. Now he’s come with me to save you—proof of his loyalty!”

Li Shuang patted Hou Jing’s shoulder—each pat sent a chill down Hou Jing’s spine.

“Don’t be foolish. How could I blame you? Do I look like a petty man?”

Seeing Li Shuang’s understanding nature, Hou Jing nearly wept.

“My lord is certainly not like that—let’s leave quickly!”

Li Shuang rose and walked out with Hou Jing. Outside, Gao Huan stood waiting, sword in hand.

“General, my earlier disrespect—I beg your pardon.”

“No matter. I’m not a petty man. He Liuhun has turned from darkness to light and pledged loyalty to the court—I have no reason to blame him.”

Outside the courtyard, a loud laugh rang out.

“How amusing!”

Po Liu Han Kong Que arrived with a troop of armored soldiers, surrounding the courtyard.

At that moment, Li Shuang quietly stepped in front of them all.

“My lord!”

At this moment, you still stand before your subordinates?

This grace—I will carry it deep in my heart.

Hou Jing was moved—until he saw Li Shuang keep stepping forward, until he stood beside Po Liu Han Kong Que.

“Father-in-law, I told you these Huai Shuo men can’t be trusted—no bond compares to that between father and son-in-law!”

Father-in-law?

Gao Huan and Hou Jing exchanged glances—and their minds went blank.