Northern Cold Pass.
Black Cavalry Camp.
A figure hurried over.
“Report! General, the first squad of the scout Camp has disappeared!”
As the messenger’s voice faded, a man walked out of the camp. Bare-chested, he bore scars on his chest so deep that bone could be seen, sending chills down the spine.
His fiendish aura was like that of a wild beast.
The overall commander of the Black Cavalry at Northern Cold Pass.
A fourth rank martial practitioner, Xuan Yue.
Xuan Yue draped a coat over himself and said coldly, “Where did they disappear?”
“General, they were searching Dan Prefecture for traces of Li Zhen according to their objective. They disappeared yesterday!”
“Transmit my order. Send the first cavalry unit to investigate what happened!”
“Yes!”
After the messenger left, Xuan Yue’s expression darkened.
The disappearance of Black Cavalry soldiers was unprecedented.
Li Zhen? He did not believe it.
The man was merely a weakling incapable of even binding a chicken. The Six Tribes of Dan Prefecture and the royal court were even less likely to be responsible.
“General, what happened?”
Xuan Yue’s staff adviser hurried over.
“A scout squad has disappeared in Dan Prefecture!”
“Oh? There may be something suspicious about this! However, general, I have already investigated. The last place that Li Zhen appeared was our Northern Cold Pass. Do we need to report this to the Capital City?”
“There is no need. General Zhao has already sent down an order. That Li Zhen is an ungrateful fool who dared to contradict the great general in open court. That cannot be forgiven. If I find him, I certainly will not let him return!”
Xuan Yue snorted coldly, his voice filled with killing intent.
In Great Yu.
Within the military command, there were two people who could be called the Gods of War in the hearts of all Great Yu soldiers.
One was Shao Xuxue, the faith of all Great Yu.
At a single word from her, they would brave fire and water without hesitation!
The other was Zhao Bugui, whom Your Majesty had now bestowed with the title of tiger general.
In the hearts of Great Yu’s soldiers, these two were a perfect match.
That Li Zhen was merely a scholar. He was capable of writing and displaying his literary talent, but he was unworthy of marrying the goddess in their hearts.
The staff adviser lowered his eyes slightly.
He did not agree with Xuan Yue’s words.
Li Zhen was the idol of poor scholars like them.
Though he disagreed inwardly, he merely echoed the sentiment with a smile.
Xuan Yue looked down on scholars, but this was not merely his personal opinion. It was a deeply rooted tradition in Great Yu.
After all, Great Yu had once been a nation that valued martial prowess over literary achievement.
But a strong military did not necessarily mean a strong nation, nor did it necessarily mean a strong people.
Li Zhen, however, had achieved the latter two.
“Enough. Go erase all traces of Li Zhen’s presence!”
“I am afraid that cannot be done, general.”
After the staff adviser finished speaking,
Xuan Yue frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“General, please do not misunderstand. It is not that I am unwilling to do it; rather, this matter has already leaked. People from the Qi Kingdom, Chu Kingdom, and Qing Kingdom have secretly arrived at our Northern Cold Pass.
If we cover this up, it will be difficult to explain to the Capital City!”
The staff adviser spoke with embarrassment.
Xuan Yue’s brow sank.
Why was this so troublesome?
“Keep a close eye on all of them and restrict them to Northern Cold Pass. No one is allowed to go to Dan Prefecture. How the hell did these people find out?” Xuan Yue rubbed his smooth head, clearly finding the matter troublesome.
“Understood, general. Then should I write the report to the Capital City as usual?”
“Write it, write it!” Xuan Yue waved his hand irritably.
He loathed these tedious matters.
Especially the military reports invented by Li Zhen. In the past, when a general was outside the capital, he could disregard the ruler’s orders.
Now, even deploy the troops required a report to be submitted to those above.
What a damn nuisance!
After he left, Xuan Yue let out a heavy breath.
Where the hell could that Li Zhen have gone?
The joint-investigation notice had already been issued. If someone from the Six Tribes saw him, they would surely inform him.
In any case, it could be confirmed that Li Zhen was in Dan Prefecture.
As long as he was there, Xuan Yue would definitely be able to find him.
.....
Capital City.
Urgent reports from every region were being delivered to the Imperial Palace one after another.
Shao Xuji read them all, and almost without exception, none contained any trace of Li Zhen.
He was extremely anxious.
Not finding him was not a good sign.
It was not that he was worried about Li Zhen’s safety; he was worried that another nation had taken him away.
He regretted it now! He did not regret the demotion from office. Rather, since he had decided to act, he should have been more decisive: he should have sent people to imprison Li Zhen, then kept him confined within a certain area to handle court affairs for him.
At worst, killing him would have been better than suffering anxiety as he did now.
“Imperial brother, traces of Li Zhen have appeared.”
Shao Xuxue entered the main palace hall.
“Where?”
Shao Xuji hurriedly rose and asked with a focused gaze.
“An urgent flying eagle report from Northern Cold Pass says that the last place Li Zhen appeared was while passing through the checkpoint. He should have gone to Dan Prefecture.”
Upon hearing this, Shao Xuji breathed a sigh of relief and murmured,
“Dan Prefecture is good!”
As long as he had not gone to another nation, everything was fine.
“Imperial brother, people from the Qi Kingdom, Chu Kingdom, and Qing Kingdom were also discovered there. They are probably searching for Li Zhen as well.” Shao Xuxue let out a soft sigh.
None of them had previously considered that Li Zhen would be so tempting.
“Outrageous! Li Zhen is my subject. What do they intend by sending people there?”
Shao Xuji’s face was filled with anger.
Shao Xuxue gave an helpless, bitter smile.
“Imperial brother, by now, the matter of Li Zhen’s dismissal from office is known throughout the world, and the situation is not that simple. Many scholars have expressed dissatisfaction, and rumors and slander are circulating everywhere.
People are saying that you... that you are narrow-minded and lack the capacity to tolerate others. Li Zhen is a great talent... and you have completely wasted him!”
Shao Xuxue’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
She had already put it quite tactfully. The people’s curses were far uglier.
Of course, there were also people from other nations deliberately fanning the flames.
But most of it came from the people’s genuine feelings.
Li Zhen’s reputation had been well established over the years.
The common people might not understand much, but they still knew the general situation where it mattered!
“They say I am narrow-minded? Outrageous! Which lowly commoner dares utter such disloyal and unfilial words? I will kill him!”
Shao Xuji flew into a rage.
What he cared about most was his reputation.
How dare anyone outside say such things about him?
“Imperial brother, people cannot all be killed. In my view, once Li Zhen is brought back, you should restore him to his former office. It would save you from exhausting yourself like this.”
Shao Xuxue looked at her imperial brother.
Li Zhen had only been gone for a little over half a month, yet her imperial brother already looked far more weathered than before.
“Impossible. This time, when he is brought back, I will place him in confinement. Since he does not care about the relationship between us, I need not spare his dignity either.
I will turn him into a tool! From now on, fame, rank, and wealth will have nothing to do with him!” Shao Xuji’s eyes were filled with madness.
Clearly, the current situation had already exceeded Shao Xuji’s expectations.
Especially the news his younger sister had brought him today.
It had struck directly at his reverse scale.
No one knew that Shao Xuji had obtained his position through illegitimate means—not even his biological younger sister, Shao Xuxue.
That was why he cared extraordinarily much about his reputation.
Now, the outside world’s opinion of him was declining because of this.
The last trace of guilt Shao Xuji felt toward Li Zhen also vanished.
He now had only one thought: bring Li Zhen back and punish him severely!
Shao Xuxue looked at her brother and suddenly felt that he was somewhat unfamiliar.
He had once been gentle as jade, with the whole world in his heart.
He was not supposed to be like this!
Moreover, although she had said that she was canceling the engagement, she still loved Li Zhen. She would eventually marry him.
Imprison him and turn him into a tool?
To say such a thing was somewhat too...
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