Chapter 72

In love, not only women are happy, but men are too.

Qin Feng was now like this, putting aside all his worries and troubles, what remained was a full heart of happiness. For him, love came unexpectedly and suddenly. In his more than twenty years of life, most of it was spent in loneliness, and what he could savor and recall was only the friendship between men.

Love, it seemed, had never been considered. The fierce battlefield, the body riddled with hidden dangers, weighed heavily on Qin Feng, leaving him no time to think about it. Having spent a long time in the military camp, the number of females he had seen could be counted on one hand, let alone women.

But love came unexpectedly. A noble, beautiful, and elegant woman, like a fairy in a painting, suddenly entered his life, fully occupying all his thoughts.

Every word and action, every smile and frown, could make him savor endlessly. During the day, they would walk together to admire the flowers, and at night, they would talk under the candlelight. Qin Feng suddenly felt that staying in this remote small county was not so bad.

But happy days always seemed short, and time flew by quickly amidst their intimate conversations. On the tenth day of their arrival in Luoying County, when Qin Feng was just able to walk and sit normally, and when the two were planning to go out of the county office to tour Luoying County, County Magistrate Yue Wei appeared before them at an inappropriate time.

The troops sent by the State of Qi to escort Min Ruoxi back to the capital of Chu had already arrived in Luoying County.

Yue Wei's appearance was untimely, and similarly, in Min Ruoxi's view, none of these people from Qi were appropriate or pleasing to her. They had secretly pursued and almost driven the two to a dead end, making it difficult for them to escape. Just as they had just found love and felt immense joy, wanting to enjoy this rare time together, these people appeared again, ruining the scene.

In short, none of them were good people.

"I don't want to see them." Min Ruoxi's face turned cold, and she turned and walked away with a flick of her sleeve. "Qin Feng, you handle this matter!"

Just a moment ago, she was smiling, but now her face was full of frost. Yue Wei was momentarily stunned. In his view, the princess who had suffered hardships should be eagerly looking forward to returning to the capital and be overjoyed upon hearing this news.

"Commander Qin!" He turned to look at Qin Feng.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Qin Feng waved his hand generously. He naturally would not mention the pursuit by Shuhui to this county magistrate, and in fact, the magistrate was probably completely unaware of these matters. "These days, we have been well entertained by you, with your warm hospitality and the endless beauty of the scenery. The princess is very fond of it and doesn't want to leave so soon. She is a bit unhappy, County Magistrate Yue. The peach blossoms you have planted are beautiful; the princess probably likes them and doesn't want to leave."

Yue Wei smiled. If that was the case, he could be at ease. But for him, having the princess of Chu stay in his place was a burden rather than an honor. The sooner he could send her away, the better. Apart from that, he could return to his own backyard to enjoy the peach blossoms he had planted, rather than being cramped in a side room with a group of clerks.

"Let's go, I'll go with you to meet the people from Chang'an." Qin Feng said. "The journey ahead will not be peaceful, and we need to discuss the princess's safety."

"Commander Qin, please!" Yue Wei stepped aside to let him pass.

In the main hall of the county office, a fully armored general was standing with his back to the door, admiring a large painting of a tiger roaring in the southern mountains. As soon as Qin Feng entered, the shiny armor almost blinded him. This was definitely not what a general on the battlefield should look like. On the battlefield, such eye-catching armor would make one a prime target for skilled opponents and sharpshooters. In his dare-to-die corps, from the commander to the soldiers, their armor was all dark and unobtrusive, with the only difference being full-body armor for the commanders and half-body armor for the soldiers.

Wearing such armor, he must be part of the Emperor of Qi's ceremonial guard! They were just some fragile vases, and it was unlikely that they could be of much use. Qin Feng secretly sneered in his heart.

"General Shu, Commander Qin Feng, the protector of Princess Zhaohua, has arrived." Yue Wei bowed.

General Shu? Qin Feng was taken aback. This surname was rare, but he had recently met one, also from Qi. Qin Feng widened his eyes and watched as the silver-armored general slowly turned around, smiling at him.

It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, chilling him to the bone. Standing before him was not the Shuhui who had relentlessly pursued him for several days, almost costing him and Min Ruoxi their lives. The only difference was that the person now standing before him was heroic, handsome, and sunny, while the one who had pursued him was sinister, cruel, and bloodthirsty. Qin Feng immediately revised his earlier assessment of this shiny-armored man.

"Shuhui?" He blurted out, "Why is it you?"

"Why can't it be me?" Shuhui laughed heartily, "Commander Qin, seeing you is truly a surprise."

Qin Feng gave a dry laugh, staring at the other man and tightly closing his mouth.

"So, you two know each other?" Yue Wei was surprised.

"Know each other? Of course, we know each other. We became acquainted through conflict, old acquaintances." Shuhui's eyes did not leave Qin Feng, but he answered Yue Wei. "County Magistrate Yue, I have some matters to discuss with Commander Qin, so please excuse us. You can go about your business."

He was actually issuing an eviction order, and in someone else's home.

"Yes, you two take your time. I will take my leave." Yue Wei bowed and turned to leave the hall.

Their eyes met, as if sparks were flying in the air.

"This is the first time I have failed in a mission, and it was at the hands of someone like you. It's hard to imagine. I even drove away a skilled expert like Deng Pu, but in the end, I lost to a fifth-level guy. It's really frustrating." Shuhui looked at Qin Feng, shaking his head and sighing.

"You'll gradually get used to failing at my hands." Qin Feng sneered.

"Is that so? I don't think so!" Shuhui smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, you seem to be as weak as a chicken now. I could end your life with just one finger."

"So what? Do you dare to kill me now?" Qin Feng sneered.

Shuhui nodded, "Yes, I can't kill you now, but the road ahead is long, and there might be opportunities. I can't touch the princess, but I can respectfully escort her back to the capital. A small commander like you, if something happens on the way, it's not a big deal, right?"

"Fine, a long journey, I'll be ready at any time." Qin Feng was not to be outdone.

Shuhui looked at the resolute Qin Feng and laughed again, "Alright, Commander Qin, let's stop joking. The past is the past. Now we are friends, and our task is to escort the princess back to the capital together, right? Don't look at me like that. Sometimes, things in this world are hard to explain. Before, I was the assassin, and Deng Pu tried every means to stop me, even getting seriously injured. Now, our roles are reversed. The Qin people might cause some trouble. Do you know who the head of the Qin spies is? It's Deng Pu's older brother, a very difficult person to deal with. I'd rather fight Deng Pu again than tangle with this person."

"You don't need to ramble. The Qin people don't want a full-scale war with Chu. Why would they assassinate the princess?" Qin Feng countered.

"That's not necessarily true. If Princess Zhaohua dies under our protection, who knows how she died? The emperor of Chu has only one precious princess. He will surely vent his anger on us, and the Qin people will be happy to see the chaos. This is a low-cost, high-reward affair; who wouldn't want to do it? If not, why would the higher-ups send me to be the escort general? They could have just sent a general from a county army." Shuhui shrugged. "Your performance on this journey has impressed me. I think we have a lot to discuss. How about it, Commander Qin, are you willing to cooperate?"

"Why not? When our goals align, we naturally cooperate. But I will remember everything you've done to me, General Shu. I am very vengeful."

Shuhui looked at Qin Feng and smiled, "I have always been bitter about my failures. If you can live longer, I think we might truly become good opponents."