Chapter 858: First Volume_Chapter 858: A Tragedy Caused by a Single Sentence

First Volume_Chapter 858: A Tragedy Caused by a Single Sentence

Ning Hu's cooking was truly a sight to behold. He picked up a half-raw piece of roasted meat, tore into it viciously, and chewed it down without caring whether it tasted good or not.

"Brother Qin, then which kind of thorn in the eye are you?"

Qin Feng chuckled lightly: "All of them, and yet none of them. My relationship with His Majesty is actually very pure—each takes what he needs, a mutual exploitation, nothing more."

"My existence, for His Majesty, brings more benefit than harm. Correspondingly, His Majesty's existence is also extremely important to me."

"You think I went straight for Li Yong because of Loyalty? Heh, I simply got used to dealing with His Majesty. I don't want to waste the energy getting used to a new master all over again."

"Sigh, I have to think about the common folk of the Northern Border and Sangzhou."

Though Ning Hu was no shrewd man, he wasn't stupid either. He knew Qin Feng's stance had long since changed.

From the very beginning—Shedynasty first, himself second—it had gradually become Northern Border first, Shedynasty second.

Ning Hu didn't mind, either. After all, the Northern Border was, in the final analysis, still Shedynasty's territory, and the people of the Northern Border were the people of Shedynasty. As long as the Northern Border held firm, Shedynasty would be safe.

To put it even more bluntly, as long as those in power within Shedynasty didn't seek death and actively plot against Qin Feng, Qin Feng would be nothing but beneficial to them.

Just then, Qin Feng suddenly smiled and looked Ning Hu over: "Little Tiger, you've been here in the Northern Di for so long now—haven't taken a fancy to any girl?"

"You're not young anymore either. It's time to start thinking about marriage."

This rough man Ning Hu actually blushed. He grinned broadly, putting on a show of洒脱: "Ha ha, if I want a woman, I'll just go straight to the brothel."

"Taking a wife is too much trouble."

Qin Feng, however, held a different view: "You can't put it like that. Having someone at home who cares about you is always a good thing. Besides, how would a brothel girl ever be of one mind with you? They're only after your money pouch."

At this point, Qin Feng's tone shifted: "I think Qi Ya is not bad."

Upon hearing the name "Qi Ya," Ning Hu's movements visibly stiffened. He silently set down the roasted meat, turned to look at Qin Feng, his expression more solemn than ever before.

Before Qin Feng could react, Ning Hu actually drew a Dagger straight from his waist and stabbed it into his own lower abdomen.

He wasn't wearing any armor, so the result was predictable—blood gushed out on the spot.

Qin Feng was startled. He hastily threw off the Quilt, kicked Ning Hu in the chest, knocking him to the ground, then pressed his knee against Ning Hu's chest to keep him from thrashing, while forcibly prying open his wrist.

The bastard had struck with vicious force—the entire Dagger had sunk into his belly—so Qin Feng didn't rashly pull it out.

To avoid excessive blood loss, he simply left the Dagger lodged in his belly for the time being.

Qin Feng blazed with fury. He clenched his fist and punched Ning Hu squarely on the nose again.

That punch sent Ning Hu's nose blood flying and stars swirling before his eyes.

"You son of a bitch, have you lost your mind?!"

"I merely mentioned Qi Ya in passing—what the hell are you freaking out about?"

"Liu Ming! Get the military physician here, quick!"

Ning Hu's face was covered in blood, yet he didn't blame Qin Feng in the slightest. On the contrary, he was deeply moved. At least Qin Feng's furious reaction proved that Qin Feng truly regarded him as a Comrade.

Ning Hu's face was full of self-reproach: "Brother Qin, these past days, I have indeed been getting too close to Qi Ya."

"That woman is Jing Ci's confidante. Though she submits to Brother Qin on the surface, no one can be sure what she's really thinking."

"If I were to bring trouble upon Brother Qin because of this, I could not escape blame even if I died ten thousand deaths."

Sensing the guilt in Ning Hu's eyes, Qin Feng could not help but sigh.

Qin Feng of course knew that Ning Hu and Qi Ya had been getting close, and precisely because of that, he had casually mentioned it—just take her if you like her. But the fellow had overthought it, assuming Qin Feng was suspicious of him, and so had used his own life to prove his loyalty.

Just then, Liu Ming arrived in haste with the military physician.

Seeing Ning Hu's abdomen already stained red with blood, Liu Ming's eyes flickered with surprise, but he said nothing.

Qin Feng raised his hand and punched Ning Hu again, grinding his teeth: "Explain the situation to Liu Ming yourself, so he doesn't start imagining things and think I'm cooking the hound after the rabbit is done—Betraying my brothers."

Hearing this, Liu Ming was taken aback and hastened to explain: "Marquis Qin, I would never entertain such a thought."

Ning Hu's brow furrowed even deeper. He hadn't expected his actions to put Qin Feng in such a difficult position.

Qin Feng sighed, speaking with deep earnestness: "I don't care whether you believe it or not, but I, Qin Feng, will never do something like hide the good bow once the birds are gone."

"No matter what achievements I may have, I will never see you as a burden, much less be wary of or suspicious of you."

"Sigh! Let me spell it out even more clearly."

"Following me, Qin Feng, you can forget ever aspiring to become leaders. Because every trade has its specialty—you're good at fighting wars, but internal affairs are far beyond you. Meanwhile, Li Zhang and Lin Quqi are good at internal affairs, but not versed in warfare."

"Don't blame me for putting it harshly—for the sake of the people under my rule, none of you are fit to be leaders."

"The moment any of you do anything that harms me or the people under my rule, even if you were my own Hand and Foot Brothers, I would still kill you without hesitation!"

"On the contrary, as long as you treat me as a brother and help me manage the Northern Border and Sangzhou well, you will forever be my right and left arms. If I get to eat meat, naturally you won't be left with just soup."

"As for saying things like 'sharing the world, what's mine is yours'—that kind of hypocrisy, let's forget about it."

In truth, Qin Feng was reluctant to bring these things up.

After all, brothers building a realm together—he didn't want to be too calculating. But facts proved that some things, even if Qin Feng didn't want them, didn't mean they wouldn't happen.

Take the Liang Emperor, for example. Even if the Liang Emperor didn't suspect Qin Feng, Qin Feng would still rack his brains wondering whether the Liang Emperor suspected him. Over time, those imagined slights would become reality.

Better to speak plainly in advance, divide the interests clearly, to avoid chaos in the future.

As the saying goes, even blood brothers should settle accounts openly.

Ning Hu, clutching his belly, actually burst out laughing: "Brother Qin, the fact that you can say all this to me shows you truly treat me as a brother. But if that's the case, why did you suddenly bring up Qi Ya?"

Qin Feng, frustrated that his man was made of the wrong stuff: "Didn't I already say it? If you like her, just speak up. Between us brothers, there's no need to hide things."

"Besides, to me, Qi Ya is just a tool. I have no interest in her whatsoever, so there's no question of poaching."

"But if you tried to poach from me, I really would kill you!"

At these words, not only Ning Hu laughed, but Liu Ming also burst into hearty laughter.

Only the military physician frowned and said irritably: "Laugh! Still laughing—the wound is too deep!"

Everyone pitched in, carried Ning Hu into the room, summoned every military physician available, and after a great deal of fuss, finally stitched up Ning Hu's wound. Fortunately, the freezing weather, combined with the timely treatment, greatly reduced the risk of infection.

Otherwise, if Ning Hu had stabbed himself to death, that would have been one hell of a joke!