Chapter 8

Yang Zhi was like a pesky fly that kept buzzing around your ear, which you couldn't swat away. To make matters worse, he lacked self-awareness and always boasted about what he considered to be his fine qualities in front of you, completely oblivious to or indifferent about others' disgust. In his subconscious, he believed that a young, handsome, wealthy, and capable talent like himself was the perfect object of affection for young girls in the bloom of their youth!

"Old Master Guo, can you guess what our young Master Yang is doing on his day off?" Min Ruoxi asked, trying to suppress a laugh.

Guo Jiuling shrugged. "I'm old and can't fathom the thoughts of young people. I suppose Yang Zhi, who has rarely seen the grand and desolate landscapes of the border, must be out sightseeing."

"Not quite," Min Ruoxi covered her mouth and giggled. "He must be going to reclaim his dignity."

"Reclaim his dignity?" Guo Jiuling was taken aback.

"Today in the main tent, what was the name of that last-arriving captain? Oh, right, Qin Feng. He made Yang Zhi lose face. Given Yang Zhi's temperament, he won't let this go. He must be going to challenge Qin Feng again to show him the sword techniques of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect!" Min Ruoxi said with a smile.

Guo Jiuling suddenly stood up. "Your Highness, this won't do. Today in the main tent, the strength Qin Feng displayed is far beyond what Yang Zhi can handle. Yang Zhi's sword control is just a showy facade. Although it's impressive for his age to be able to control a sword within a few feet, he's no match for someone like Qin Feng, who has fought on the battlefield."

"Not necessarily. Today, Qin Feng caught Yang Zhi's flying sword, but I think it was mostly due to surprise. In a real fight, who knows who would come out on top!" Min Ruoxi said nonchalantly.

Guo Jiuling was genuinely worried. With Min Ruoxi's abilities, how could she not see the gap in their true levels? Her words clearly showed that she detested Yang Zhi and hoped Qin Feng would teach him a harsh lesson, preferably so harsh that he would be sent back to the capital to recover, thus getting rid of him.

"Your Highness, Qin Feng is a captain in the Death Corps. The people in this corps are not to be underestimated. It's understandable that you want to teach Yang Zhi a lesson, but you can't let the madmen of the Death Corps do it. One wrong move, and Yang Zhi could lose his life," Guo Jiuling said urgently.

"Why do you call the Death Corps madmen?" Min Ruoxi, unfamiliar with the military, especially the Death Corps of the western border, was puzzled by Guo Jiuling's words.

"Your Highness, the Death Corps is a den of filth and corruption. From the officers to the soldiers, they are all heinous criminals. The western border army established the Death Corps to exploit their remaining value. In every battle, the casualties in this corps are over 70-80%, and after a battle, the Death Corps is almost annihilated. Therefore, the soldiers in this corps are all extremely vicious, ruthless to both enemies and comrades, and disregard laws and military discipline. Qin Feng has been in the Death Corps for six years. Think about it, what kind of person can control such a group of villains? He won't care who he's facing." Guo Songling added, "Your Highness, Yang Zhi is the son of Chancellor Yang. If anything happens to him, it will be hard to explain. If Yang Zhi really dies in the Death Corps, it would be very disadvantageous for the Second Prince."

Min Ruoxi picked up the freshly brewed hot tea that the maid had just served, lightly flicked the foam into the air, and took a sip. "Old Master Guo, don't worry. If you can think of it, General Zuo can't miss it. He will make arrangements. Nothing serious will happen. Qin Feng is indeed interesting. Even though Yang Zhi's skills are not fully developed, he's not an ordinary opponent. The fact that Qin Feng could catch Yang Zhi's flying sword with his bare hands is quite unexpected. Did you notice that after Qin Feng caught the short sword, it immediately lost its connection with Yang Zhi? In that instant, Qin Feng cut off all the connections between the sword and the person, and he did it so subtly. The internal skills Qin Feng practices are quite peculiar!"

Guo Jiuling, now calmer, nodded. "Your Highness, the military is a place where dragons and tigers hide. For Qin Feng to stay in the Death Corps for six years, he must have exceptional qualities. Although I can't tell what internal skills he practices, the ability to cut off the connection between a person and a sword so dominantly must be a powerful and fierce technique. Despite his young age, Qin Feng has already mastered the fierce internal skills to the point of internalization, which is quite rare. Given time, he might become a formidable general for our Great Chu."

Min Ruoxi, intrigued by Guo Jiuling's words, said, "Old Master Guo, why don't we go and watch the spectacle? It would be quite amusing to see that peacock get a good beating. In the capital, no one dares to treat Young Master Yang like this." She giggled as she spoke.

"Your Highness!" Guo Jiuling was both amused and exasperated. "Qin Feng has the potential to become a formidable general for our Great Chu, and Yang Zhi, if nothing goes wrong, will also hold an important position in the future. If we don't watch, there's still room for maneuver. But if we witness it, it will become a great enmity for both of them. A private vendetta turning into a public challenge, where neither can afford to lose, especially someone like Yang Zhi. So, it's better not to watch."

Min Ruoxi sighed regretfully. "Old Master Guo is right. For the long term, we can only pretend to be deaf and blind."

When Zuo Lixing heard Yang Zhi's request to challenge Qin Feng again, he was immediately troubled. Yang Zhi, who was not as respectful to Zuo Lixing as he was to Princess Zhaohua Min Ruoxi, bluntly stated his demand, leaving no room for negotiation. In his view, informing Zuo Lixing before taking action was already a sign of respect.

Although Zuo Lixing commanded the western border army and was a regional commander, he was still no match for the prestigious Left Chancellor. The Great Chu had hundreds of thousands of troops, and Zuo Lixing was just one of many high-ranking generals. The Left Chancellor, however, held the highest administrative power in the country, second only to the emperor.

Zuo Lixing felt a toothache coming on. With his cultivation, he had already gauged Yang Zhi's abilities when he saw him in action today. With such skills, challenging the first fierce general of the western border army was nothing short of courting death. The Ten Thousand Sword Sect's sword control was indeed a powerful and profound technique, but it depended on who used it. Using it without sufficient cultivation was akin to courting death. Who knew Qin Feng's temperament better than Zuo Lixing? When he went berserk, he wouldn't care who he was facing.

A friendly match? Nonsense. Just looking at Yang Zhi's clenched teeth, it was clear he wanted to beat Qin Feng to a pulp to vent his anger. The problem was, against Qin Feng, it would be Yang Zhi who would end up beaten to a pulp. If that were the only issue, it would be bad enough, but the real concern was that Qin Feng might go too far and seriously injure Yang Zhi.

Just as he was grinding his teeth, a deputy officer ran over and whispered something in Zuo Lixing's ear. Zuo Lixing's face immediately changed. "Damn it, he's gone too far, not respecting me as the commander-in-chief. Someone, come here..."

He started to speak but then stopped, having a sudden idea.

"Tell the Invincible Camp to stay put. I'll make up for any shortages. Also, bring Zhang Xiaozheng to me," Zuo Lixing ordered.

The deputy officer had just informed Zuo Lixing that the deputy captain of the Death Corps, Scissors, had forcibly taken half of the supplies allocated to the Invincible Camp. The Invincible Camp was now furious and ready to confront the Death Corps.

Zhang Xiaozheng, also known as Little Cat, entered Zuo Lixing's tent with trepidation. He had learned from the deputy officer that the Death Corps had just committed another major act, seizing half of the Invincible Camp's supplies. Being called by the commander-in-chief at this time could only mean trouble. As a former member of the Death Corps, he knew their style well. Getting them to give back what they had taken was like pulling teeth from a tiger. Despite the commander-in-chief's usual tough stance towards Qin Feng, he secretly admired him. Who wouldn't like a general who could win battles that others couldn't and capture strongholds that others couldn't? So, no matter what trouble Qin Feng caused, the commander-in-chief would always let him off lightly. The last time Qin Feng overturned the commander-in-chief's table, he only received twenty strokes, which were so light that the other generals were speechless, knowing that the commander-in-chief's deputy was cheating. The board was raised high and made a loud noise, but when it landed on Qin Feng's buttocks, it did nothing.

If someone else had committed such an act, they would have been bedridden for three months, let alone the strict military discipline. The commander-in-chief's leniency was clear.

If the commander-in-chief sent him to the Death Corps to retrieve the supplies, should he pretend to have a sudden illness in the tent? He could immediately collapse, convulse, and foam at the mouth, claiming an epileptic seizure. The commander-in-chief couldn't force him to go then, right? If he went to the Death Corps to drink with them, he might be carried back, but if he went to demand what they had taken, he would definitely crawl back.

Wild Dog was crazy, Scissors was devious, and Monk was wild. None of them were easy to deal with, and as for Qin Feng, he would never face him, even if it meant his life.