Chapter 47

Chapter 681: With a small fishing rod and thin line (夫揭竿累), one cannot catch large fish (其於得大魚難) (2)

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The next evening. Zhang Xi's quarters.

Taking advantage of the busy preparations for the campaign, Xue Miao returned with two of his subordinates, bringing along Sijian, who was in a terrible state.

Sijian was in no condition to be seen.

"How could they treat a person like this...?"

Zhang Xi, lying on her bed, tended to Sijian, who was sleeping soundly, and said with a sigh.

"It seems he endured great torture. After all, Sir Si is a key figure in the Guanxi army, so it's natural that Lu Bu's subordinates treated him harshly to extract information. It's a miracle he's still alive."

Xue Miao continued, meeting Zhang Xi's gaze.

"Madam, we need to write a letter. Sir Si's hands are in no condition to hold a brush. Please write for us that we will go to our lord."

"But as I said yesterday, I have no way to send a message to the lord."

"Really no way?"

Xue Miao's eyes were filled with suspicion.

However, Zhang Xi's words were entirely true. How could she send a message from deep within the enemy camp? Moreover, there was no one here who was in league with Huang Bosun.

"Do I have any reason to deceive you, General? We are on the same side. Please put aside your doubts."

"Very well. I will trust you completely. We will leave the Zhongtian territory as soon as Sir Si can move. If you need to send a letter or any items, please prepare them within an hour. However, nothing large or heavy."

"Where are you going?"

"Sir Si is in no condition to move, so we need to plan the route in advance. Lu Bu's army is truly formidable. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't dare to leave, but now, with the preparations for the campaign causing chaos, it's worth a try."

Xue Miao naturally left the hall and returned an hour later. He then received a letter from Zhang Xi.

"I will deliver this letter no matter what."

Xue Miao lifted Sijian onto his back, but his two subordinates showed no intention of following.

Zhang Xi glanced at them and said to Xue Miao,

"Aren't the others coming with you?"

"The security is tight. If too many of us move at once, we'll be discovered. They will move separately in an hour. Please bear with us a little longer."

"Oh! Is that so?"

"We don't know what will happen, so we might need to set fire to the hall to draw attention and escape in the confusion. My subordinates' lives are precious, but they cannot compare to Sir Si's."

Xue Miao revealed his plan to set fire to the hall if necessary, to create a distraction and escape with Sijian.

For this, the lives of the remaining two would be sacrificed. But to escape Zhongtian with Sijian, such a sacrifice would be worth it.

Xue Miao bowed slightly to Zhang Xi as if to say goodbye and then disappeared outside with Sijian.

* * *

The two men left behind.

Zhang Xi didn't even know their names. Of course, they had no intention of revealing their own.

Their job was simply to follow Guo Jia's script.

"I'm going in!"

A loud voice from outside the hall. It was Lu Bu. He had never visited like this before.

Was that why Zhang Xi's expression hardened? She waved her hand at the two men, clearly flustered.

"Hurry...!"

She should have told them where to hide, but she couldn't. The best place to hide in a woman's room would be the bedroom.

But Zhang Xi couldn't say that. Or rather, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Hide behind the screen. No matter what happens, you must not make a sound."

The men nodded in understanding and hid behind the screen.

Only then did Zhang Xi go to greet Lu Bu. As soon as she opened the door, Lu Bu complained.

"Why did you take so long to open the door? Do you have guests?"

Zhang Xi was taken aback by Lu Bu's words but maintained her composure.

"How could that be? Even the soldiers don't come near this place."

"Of course not."

Lu Bu entered first. Zhang Xi, acting more coquettishly than usual, clung to him.

"General, why did you come here in person instead of calling for me?"

"I will be leaving soon for the campaign. I won't be back for a while, so I wanted to see you one last time before I go."

Lu Bu said this and then suddenly sniffed the air. Seeing his suspicious expression, Zhang Xi asked innocently,

"Is there some smell...?"

"There's a smell of blood. Why is there a smell of blood in your room?"

"Oh! It's just... women's monthly affairs..."

Zhang Xi blushed as if embarrassed, but Lu Bu remained unconvinced. He slowly walked towards the screen and suddenly pulled it aside.

At that moment, the two men behind the screen lunged at Lu Bu with their daggers.

It seemed like a move that no one could avoid. But the opponent was Lu Bu. He had faced such attacks countless times.

'Told them to go easy, but they're charging like they want to die. Well, they need to put on a good show to fool Zhang Xi.'

Lu Bu's body tilted to one side. He struck the arm of one of the men with his elbow, causing the dagger's trajectory to change.

With a dull thud, the man who had been struck in the chest fell and hit the wall, collapsing.

The remaining man, forgetting their prearranged plan, swung his dagger wildly at Lu Bu.

Lu Bu noticed that he had lost his composure and was temporarily out of his mind. But that didn't change anything. He needed to subdue the man quickly.

The problem was that the man was using his dagger to block Lu Bu's approach. Lu Bu couldn't kill him, nor could he stop him with words.

Lu Bu took a few steps back and then circled around to grab a vase. He turned and threw it. The vase hit the man's forehead and shattered.

The man fell backward, rolling his eyes.

The time it took for Lu Bu to subdue both men was less than it took to count to five.

* * *

Outside, Shang Kai burst through the door and ran in.

"Brother!"

Lu Bu threw the two fallen men at Shang Kai and said,

"They said there were four who escaped from the prison... Where are the other two hiding?"

"I really don't know, Brother. I have no idea."

"Do you know how serious it is to hide criminals?"

"I really don't know, Brother."

Zhang Xi was firm, but Lu Bu didn't seem willing to let it go.

"Shang Kai, cut off this woman's head right now."

Lu Bu ordered Zhang Xi's execution, but Shang Kai turned his back to her and faced Lu Bu.

"Brother, there seems to be a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding?"

"Brother, this woman didn't hide them. I saw them run into the hall just now and was on my way here."

"Is that so?"

"Have I ever lied to you, Brother?"

Shang Kai's words made Lu Bu tilt his head.

"How did you see that? There are too many suspicious aspects to this, even if you were lucky."

"Brother, are you doubting me? Do you think I'm lusting after your woman? Our soldiers don't guard this hall, so it's the perfect place to hide. I was watching from a distance. Is that clear?"

"If we torture these men, we'll find out the truth."

Lu Bu said this and placed his hand on Shang Kai's shoulder.

"If you're lying, even as my guard, you won't escape execution."

Lu Bu dragged the two unconscious men out.

* * *

Silence filled Zhang Xi's room for a moment.

Zhang Xi broke the silence. She looked at Shang Kai with a puzzled expression and said,

"Why did you lie for me? You had no reason to take my side..."

"I just wanted to."

"If they wake up and are tortured, they will reveal the truth. You should run now."

Shang Kai laughed bitterly.

"Heh! Brother isn't that careless. If I leave now, I'll be caught by skilled warriors who can handle me without a struggle."

"Hey, are you just going to sit here and wait to die?"

"My name isn't 'Hey,' it's Shang Kai. What's your name?"

"Yanhua... Zhang Yanhua."

Shang Kai turned his back to Zhang Xi again.

"Now that I know your name, it's fine."

Shang Kai, though small in stature, seemed like a giant to Zhang Xi.

"What's fine? You didn't need to risk your life for me. No one cares about someone like me anyway."

"I was captivated by you at first sight. I know we can't be together, but I wanted to do something for you. That's all."

Shang Kai didn't even realize what he was saying.

He was just spouting nonsense out of his desire to have Zhang Xi.

In a way, it was no different from a lover promising, "I'll never let you do any housework," to persuade someone to marry.

But the problem was that it worked.

"Born into a lowly status, I was sold for a few bushels of grain and treated like an object by the nobles. No one ever risked their life for a lowly person like me. I had to risk my life for them. That was my only chance."

Zhang Xi didn't know why she was saying these things. She couldn't understand herself.

Shang Kai looked at her with a deep, intense gaze. The atmosphere became strangely charged. The two of them, as if drawn by a magnet, moved closer and embraced each other.

Shang Kai was about the same height as Zhang Xi, so she couldn't bury her face in his chest.

But that didn't matter. This position was better for a kiss.

Seeing that Shang Kai wasn't coming out quickly, Lu Bu assumed things were going well. He hurried to the main hall.

There, not only Guo Jia but also Xue Miao were waiting for him.

Xue Miao bowed as soon as he saw Lu Bu. Lu Bu waved his hand to dismiss the formality.

"Xue Miao, you've done well."

"General, you are now the master of Cao Qinglong, and thus my master as well. It's only natural for a subordinate to serve their master."

"Good! It's my principle to reward those who have done well. How did it go with Zhang Xi?"

"I confirmed that Zhang Xi has no means to contact Huang Bosun."

Lu Bu... or rather, Guo Jia, had orchestrated this to confirm whether Zhang Xi could contact Huang Bosun.

Zhongtian was a place where Huang Bosun had stayed for a long time, so there could be secret passages or spies.

"What about Sijian...?"

"He was unconscious the whole time, so he won't know what happened."

Satisfied with Xue Miao's answer, Lu Bu turned to Guo Jia.

"Master, it seems our business here is done. Can we leave now?"

"Of course."