Chapter 539: First Volume, Chapter 539: Spirit Tablet of the Baron of Beixi

First Volume, Chapter 539: Spirit Tablet of the Baron of Beixi

This small gesture instantly won the admiration of every civilian present.

Qin Feng paid no attention to it.

Since he had already dismounted, Qin Feng decided to walk forward on foot.

Seeing this, Ning Hu and the Tianji Camp Guards also dismounted and followed him on foot.

Through the sea of people and blooming flowers, at the end of the corridor, Lin Quqi, who had been waiting a long time, took the wine cup from a Yamen Runner and handed it to Qin Feng.

He and the others who had come to greet also raised their wine cups.

"Brother Qin, drink this welcoming wine to wash away your dust."

Lin Quqi's face flushed red as he downed the wine in one gulp.

Qin Feng rarely drank, but on this special day, he made no fuss—he tilted his head and drained the cup.

After drinking the dust-washing wine, the usually refined Lin Quqi imitated Qin Feng's mannerisms: he skipped the bow and instead gave Qin Feng a bear hug.

Men embracing, all words unspoken.

Qin Feng had intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but Lin Quqi shoved him toward the County Yamen.

"Go quickly—your wife and the young ladies have been waiting with bated breath."

Qin Feng rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, beaming with delight, chuckled foolishly, and stopped overthinking—he sprinted through the County Yamen's Door.

In the DaTang, the four sisters and two maids were all present.

Liu Hongyan had prepared a flood of words, but when she actually saw Qin Feng, she could not speak a single one.

She merely patted Qin Feng's shoulder, felt the weight of his helmet, and smiled with deep relief.

Qin Feng did not hesitate—he bowed directly to Liu Hongyan.

"Second Sister, I'm back. You've worried about me."

At these words, Liu Hongyan's eyes welled up; she quickly turned her head away, wiped them secretly, and put on a smiling face.

"You're back—that's all that matters. You're back—that's all that matters."

Before this, Qin Feng had imagined his reunion with his sisters would be deeply intimate.

But the reality was completely unexpected.

The four sisters simply stood in place, smiling warmly as they watched him.

Qin Feng felt a flicker of doubt in his heart.

Could it be… that his sisters were angry with him?

If only the four sisters were like this, it might be understandable.

But even Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng, upon seeing him approach, instinctively stepped back.

Strange!

Just as Qin Feng was utterly baffled,

a soft cough came from behind him.

He turned and saw that the County Yamen's Door was already swamped by the crowd.

The people of Beixi County formed three layers, inside and out.

Only then did Qin Feng realize—Liu Hongyan and the others had kept their distance because outsiders were watching.

After all…

They knew Qin Feng's ways too well.

Even after battles of life and death, even after growth and hardship, Qin Feng remained the same Qin Feng.

The greed and cravings in his eyes had already betrayed him.

A kingdom may change, but one's nature is hard to alter.

With so many eyes watching, Qin Feng gave up—he pretended to bow respectfully to the four sisters, then stepped into the Inner Courtyard.

In the vast Inner Courtyard, only Qin Cheng Clan sat alone in the Cool Pavilion, sipping tea slowly.

Qin Feng rushed forward in three strides, dropped to one knee, and performed a full bow.

"Unfilial son, bows before Mother."

Qin Cheng Clan set down her Tea Cup and smiled knowingly.

"Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot both be fulfilled. You ventured into Beidi territory, risking your life—it was unavoidable. I do not blame you."

"Now that you are the lord of all Beixi's people, bearing heavy burdens, you need not be bound by formalities—rise."

When Qin Feng stood, Qin Cheng Clan gestured with her hand; he naturally stepped before her.

Like Liu Hongyan, Qin Cheng Clan patted the armor on Qin Feng's body, then scanned him from head to toe.

Her gaze held boundless satisfaction.

"My son Feng has finally grown up…"

This light, casual phrase carried infinite maternal love.

Qin Feng suddenly felt his nose sting—he felt his life had been worth it.

Mother and son sat together in the Cool Pavilion, silent.

Merely sitting there, they both felt deeply full and warm—perhaps this was what people called blood ties.

Outside the County Yamen, noise gradually rose—cheers and praises from the people.

At that moment, Qin Feng suddenly realized something was missing.

"Mother, why haven't I seen Lord Ming's family along the way?"

At the mention of "Lord Ming," Qin Cheng Clan's smile froze for an instant.

Though the change lasted only a moment, Qin Feng saw it clearly.

Qin Feng couldn't help but feel a bad premonition.

"Mother, has something happened? Whatever it is, just say it."

"I've endured the baptism of war, witnessed countless deaths—I can bear anything."

With words spoken this far,

Qin Cheng Clan no longer hesitated; she looked into Qin Feng's eyes, her voice barely a whisper.

"Your father has fallen in battle."

"The Ming Prince and the heir are in mourning duty, unable to come."

At these words, Qin Feng's head rang with a whirring sound, like a thunderclap on a clear day.

All joyful smiles froze on his face.

After what felt like an eternity, Qin Feng slowly returned to awareness from his shock.

He stared blankly at Qin Cheng Clan, his heart filled with disbelief.

"You're lying to me, aren't you?"

"My father fell in battle? How is that possible? He was the Baron of Fuyun County, the Ming Prince's son, his personal martial prowess rivaling Ning Hu and Xu Mozhi."

"Who in this world could possibly kill him?"

Although Qin Cheng Clan detected not a trace of anger or grief in Qin Feng's eyes,

those eyes, nearly void of all light, proved beyond doubt how much pain he felt inside.

When emotions like anger, sorrow, and resentment reach their peak, the spark in the eyes turns to still water.

Qin Cheng Clan had expected this.

But Qin Feng must face these truths sooner or later.

Long pain is worse than short pain.

If Qin Feng cannot overcome this trial, he has no right to lead the entire Beixi County.

"No one anticipated Chen Si suddenly changing his strategic deployment, reinforcing the Beixi DefensiveLine with large numbers of Elite Troops."

"The cavalry under Zhao Yulong and Xu Mo could have withdrawn in time, avoiding encirclement."

"But the Infantry under your father's command, caught off guard by the sudden encirclement, could not retreat at once."

"Facing an enemy force several times their own, the outcome was inevitable."

Qin Feng's Military Victory could not be replicated.

After all, Qingyu Mountain had been turned into an impassable abyss, and the enemy were merely County Yamen guards—worse than third-rate troops, let alone Regular Army.

That was precisely why Qin Feng had secured absolute advantage at minimal cost.

In contrast, your father led Infantry against an enemy whose numbers and Combat Effectiveness utterly surpassed his own.

Added to that, the terrain was open.

Under such conditions, anyone—even Qin Feng—would have met only Military Death.

Though tactical failure was inevitable, Qin Feng still could not accept the news of his father's Military Death…

【Author's Note】

I deliberately shortened the paragraphs to make them easier to read!