Feng Yu Jiu Tian Volume 12

 Feng Yu Jiu Tian

Volume 12

(Young Phoenix’s Early Cry) xfengyujiutian.tumblr.com

Translator: Christy Editors: Fern, Joy, Manu

Chapter 1

The morning sun spread across the soundly sleeping face, bringing warmth and comfort.

Feng Ming opened his eyes, half asleep he accepted the last night feeling he had endured – a residual trace of numbness was felt from his lower back. His eyes swept the entire room.

Looking around, his eyes rested upon the person next to him, the face of Xi Lei King appeared within his sight.

“Are you secretly watching me?”

“Secretly watching? I am looking at you in an upstanding way.” Rong Tian stretched out a finger and pointed at his nose.

Lying on the same bed as Feng Ming, Rong Tian was turned on his side, his head resting on a propped arm, looking at his lover.

Feng Ming softly patted the hand that had just touched his nose, “You didn’t sleep all night?” “Who said that? I always wake up earlier than you, little slacker.”

“Rong Tian.”

“Ah?...”

 “Your eyes...are bloodshot.” Feng Ming copied Rong Tian and stretched out his index finger to point at his impeccable shaped nose, proudly saying, “Lying in my presence, I caught you red­handed, right?!”

As a dignified King of Xi Lei, perhaps Feng Ming is the only one who dares to point at him so casually.

Like a small rabbit raising its paw, intimidating a lion within the jungle.

Rong Tian didn’t hesitate to grasp the white soft hand, while frowning he said, “How come you are suddenly smarter today?”

“Are you still reluctant to leave me?” Feng Ming nestled within the large chest and broad shoulders.

Rong Tian’s body temperature always seems to be higher than his.

Nice and warm.

Feng Ming suddenly whispered, “In the past, I used my title as Crown Prince to head to Fan Jia and before leaving, you didn’t want to see me, which made me incredibly sad. Now I realize that not meeting during the moment of separation is better, then it wouldn’t be so painful...”

“You fool.” Rong Tian laughed out loud while looking adoringly at him, “Wait until I finish my mission and I’ll come find you. It won’t be long until then so there is no need to feel sad, alright?”

Feng Ming gently hummed in response, closely snuggling in Rong Tian’s arms and remained silent.

The two of them embraced each other, looking outside the window as the sun continued to rise, the world slowly waking up, the sound of footsteps from outside was faintly heard....

The time they had together was not much, but one second cannot be turned into one day, and one day cannot be changed into one year.

Just like the calm, quiet tides, if there were no disturbance then the time would stop at this moment forever.

But a wish is only a wish, in a short while, the footsteps had stopped in front of the door.

The familiar voices of the maids were heard, “Your Majesty, Duke Ming, we’ve come to serve you.”

The door was cautiously opened, sunlight followed in, spreading across the room, the silence from before quickly ceased.

 Though Rong Tian was not willing to, he had to remove Feng Ming from his embrace and got up from the bed; smiling, he said, “Has Zi Yan arranged all the preparations already?”

“I’m here!” Zi Yan appeared at the doorway in a traveling outfit. His calves were tightly tied in a meticulous way, a dagger was hidden on his waist. A simple baggage was carried over his back, his upper and lower body were physically fit. Facing Rong Tian, he reported, “Your Majesty, everything is prepared. We can start our journey.”

Feng Ming was feeling anxious inside.

After coming to this time period, even though the time together with Rong Tian was less and separation had been long, those times of separation were unexpected so he had never experienced the feeling of seeing his lover heading off.

No matter how much mental preparation was done in advance, in this moment he realized how painful this indescribable feeling was...

Chiu Lan handed Rong Tian a prepared outfit, “Your Majesty, these are the clothing that a regular business person usually dresses, allow me to help you wear it.”

Rong Tian nodded, Chiu Yue walked over beside Chiu Lan to help dress Rong Tian.

Feng Ming watched him standing there, being waited on by the two maids, his tall handsome stature, calmly raising his arms and legs, emitting an unique majestic appeal, the more he watched him the more his heartbeat quickened.

At this moment, he realized how important Rong Tian was to him.

As long as Rong Tian was next to him, he didn’t need to be afraid or worry about anything.

Without Rong Tian around, no matter how many people are around him, it would be useless.

“What are you staring at?” Rong Tian turned his head to look around, suddenly catching Feng Ming’s gaze, knowing that he was worried, Rong Tian deliberately got his attention.

Feng Ming was startled, he went silent for a moment before smiling at Rong Tian. Taking in a long breath, he regained his spirit and jumped off the bed, adjusted his belt and then yelled out, “Chiu Xing, come over here, select a beautiful looking outfit for Duke Ming. This time, while traveling, I want to display my magnificent, prowess demeanor.”

“Yes, Duke Ming!” Chiu Xing rushed over to serve him.

Once the two of them finished dressing, everyone else was present.

 Rong Hu and Lie Er were the first ones to enter, Lie Zhong Liu followed after bringing along Lie Zhong Shi and Lie Dou, the two big men who love to quarrel.

Feng Ming was curious and asked Lie Zhong Liu, “How come I don’t see Lady Lie?”

Lie Zhong Liu smiled and replied, “She had been looking forward to having a smart disciple and after finding one, she immediately started inculcating him with her teachings.”

“Before dawn, Qian Lin was dragged off from his bed by Lady Lie.” Rong Hu added.

Lie Er burst out laughing, “That’s right, his master was pinching his ears and scolding him. As a successor to the Wei’s Art of War and yet he dares to sleep in. This time, Qian Lin is in big trouble.”

“You shouldn’t accuse innocent Qian Lin. That time, it was obvious the sun wasn’t out yet, he has always been punctual and follow the rules on getting up.”

“But according to his master, he must get up an hour before dawn. Haha, from today onward, Qian Lin will be completely pitiful.”

Feng Ming stuck out his tongue.

Must get up an hour before dawn? Luckily, he is not as talented and clever as Qian Lin and wasn’t chosen to be the successor to the Wei’s Art of War, otherwise, he will never be able to have a good night sleep again.

The cruel torture of being dragged from under the blankets made him remember Dong Fan 13th Captain, Jun Ting.

“Your Majesty, are you ready?” Lie Zhong Liu looked over at Rong Tian.

Rong Tian stretched out his arms and turned in a circle to show Lie Zhong Liu the outfit he was wearing, “What do you think, Prime Minister?”

Lie Zhong Liu carefully scanned it, nodded his head and said, “Ah, a simple outfit, it’s great that we have regular traders around here that do business with Zhao Bei. An outfit like that should be acceptable.”

Rong Tian laughed, “If Prime Minister sees no flaws in it, then it should be no problem.” Feng Ming scratched his head.

Yesterday, both of them were staring down at each other, so how come their relationship suddenly became relatively close?

 Lie Zhong Liu’s gaze switched over to Zi Yan, “The outfit Zi Yan is wearing right now is completely different from the armor outfit.”

“Prime Minister, Zi Yan looks great like this, right? His broad shoulders, strong chest, do you want to touch a bit?” Lie Er draped his arms over Zi Yan’s shoulders, using a meat inspector voice, he laughed out.

Zi Yan was not pleased as he tossed Lie Er’s arm aside and scolded him, “Quit it Lie Er, go die!”

“Ah, it’s not bad.” Lie Zhong Liu glanced at Lie Er and continued, “But the beauty that I, the Prime Minister, is fond of, is still you, Lie Er.”

His teasing statement clearly brought uproar among everyone.

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing stood up together at once, “We’re going to complain! We’re going to tell Lady Lie, we’ll definitely tell her about this!”

Seeing them chatter in enthusiasm, Feng Ming laughed nonstop, he silently thought that they must be worried he might be sad about separating from Rong Tian; therefore, they deliberately joked around to lighten up his mood.

It was emotionally touching for him.

He had come to this ancient world for some time and now was more familiar with it each

passing day. In the past, he wouldn’t pay much attention to everyone’s behavior, but now he gradually came to understand the hidden meaning behind each one. The group of people in front of him grew close to him as if they were his loved ones.

Even if it’s only for these people in front of him, he still wishes to bring peace and harmony to them.

The laughter ceased, Zi Yan looked up at the sky, then faced Rong Tian and said, “Your Majesty, we shouldn’t...” The words were still not finished when he paused and glanced over at Feng Ming.

Feng Ming clenched his teeth, revealing a bright smile, “It’s no longer early, it’s time for departure, afterwards, there is still a long road ahead, do you still plan on waiting until nighttime to leave?”

The whole room went silent...

After a while, Lie Zhong Liu asked, “Does Your Majesty still want to speak with Feng Ming in private?”

 Everyone were intending to head outside the room in order to let Feng Ming have some time alone with Rong Tian.

“No.” Feng Ming shook his head, seeing everyone’s shocked face looking at him, he stomped his foot, “It’s not anything like life and death, so what’s the point in prolonging this? As a man, if you say you leave then leave. What else is there to continue talking privately about?”

Before he finished, Rong Tian reached out and pulled the young man next to him, gave him an intense kiss on the lips, then chuckled, “Not bad, before leaving, you already displayed a demeanor fit for Young Master Xiao. However, as a man, after I leave, you are not allowed to cry. Take care of yourself, here I go.”

Lifting his head, he gave his farewell, his bright eyes sparkled as he bellowed out, “Here I go!” “Your Majesty, take care!”

Rong Hu said, “Your Majesty, let us send you outside...”

“No need for the customary etiquette. Just stay here and look after Duke Ming, take care of yourself. Prime Minister, please take care.” Facing Lie Zhong Liu, Rong Tian clasped his hands together and smiled. Rong Tian motioned his hand and ordered, “Zi Yan, let’s head out!”

Xi Lei King proudly laughed and quickly strode out the door.

Zi Yan, full of energy, followed right behind. The two of them walked off...

Chapter 2

After Rong Tian left, there was only one “Wang” present in Yue Zhong.

(*Note: Wang is a royal title with different meanings. Both Rong Tian and Feng Ming are addressed as “Wang”, for Rong Tian – it is “King” and for Feng Ming it is “Duke”)

Fearing that the others might be worried, Feng Ming refused to display any signs of sadness; instead he pretended to look forward to his trip.

Rong Hu already knew that Feng Ming was unhappy, so he secretly went to ask the Prime Minister for an advice on what to do.

LZL: Since he has made the decision, it’s only natural for him to feel depressed. Deciding to travel through the nations, hoping to become a more free and clever person without relying on his reputation as “Xi Lei King’s lover” or in His Majesty’s protection, it’s not so easy. In the past,

 when Duke Ming had an argument with Empress Dowager regarding finding a Queen for His Majesty, didn’t he make a powerful statement? Something like a fish and bear paw*, you can’t choose both. You can use his own statement to help comfort him.

(Note: This line originated from Meng Zi/Mencius “Fish is something I desire; bear’s paw is also something I desire. If I cannot have both, I will forsake fish and select bear’s paw. )

After listening to what Rong Hu reported, Chiu Yue angrily clenched her teeth, “I can’t believe there is someone as heartless as him. There are lots of people distressed for Duke Ming, while he has the nerve to say something sarcastic.”

Chiu Xing nodded and added, “That’s right, we only knew he was heartless and vulgar, overall, he’s just a bit more clever than some people.”

LE: However, I think what Prime Minister said is reasonable. Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing stared at Lie Er in dissatisfaction.

Worried that they might quarrel, Chiu Lan quickly walked over to intervene; “Duke Ming is currently not in a good mood, if all of you were to argue, and Duke Ming finds out, he’ll be more upset.”

After what she said, they stopped their argument. LE: I’m going to see Duke Ming.

Inside the room, Feng Ming was looking for something to do but couldn’t think of anything. Vaguely hearing someone outside the room, which sounded like Lie Er, he ran out to see. He sighed in relief and said, “Where did all of you go? I’m so bored here by myself.”

They all went inside the room. Since Rong Tian was not there, they were more unrestrained than usual and looked for a place to sit comfortably. Chiu Yue sat next to the bed, seeing that there was a baggage there, she chuckled, “Is this baggage something that Duke Ming prepared by yourself? This isn’t how it’s done. If this were to be carried up and down, it’ll be tiresome.”

Chiu Xing came from behind to take a look and also laughed, “This really looks like someone was feeling eager to travel!”

FM: Does it really look bad? But I feel that the way I made it is not bad.

When Rong Tian and him were together, they were always in high spirits. Now that Rong Tian is gone, Feng Ming felt that 30% of his soul was taken away. Although he is still smiling and laughing, he feels a bit depressed.

 CL: Duke Ming is not a regular person, do you have to prepare your own baggage? Your clothing and such, just let us handle them.”

Feng Ming shook his head, “It’s just simple day to day items, stuff that Rong Tian left behind. I had nothing to do so I decided to put them all together and wrapped them up so they won’t get dirty.”

LE: Duke Ming, I came here to bid my farewell. FM: That quick?

LE: With this important matter, it’s best to complete them earlier to feel at ease. Once I’m done with my packing, I will immediately hit the road.”

Feng Ming looked at Lie Er up and down, with eyes full of sadness, he whispered, “If there are some unexpected incidents, you don’t need to settle them, just take good care of yourself first.”

Lie Er smiled and said, “Besides Yong Yi, the entire Yong Yin royalties are a bunch of useless junk, what kind of unexpected incident would happen? Duke Ming, rest assured I promise you that you’ll be hearing good news soon.” Facing Feng Ming, he gave a sign of farewell, turning over to Rong Hu, he nodded and casually said, “Brother, I’m leaving. Duke Ming is left in your hands. That’s right, if you receive a message from me requesting for money, then immediately have someone send it to me.”

RH: Rest assured, Prime Minister already ordered to give you as much as you need. But it is Duke Ming’s wealth, you’re not allowed to squander carelessly.

LE: Who’s squandering? Are you saying that I don’t have my own money? Even if I don’t, Yong Yi will not let me starve.

Lie Er made a face and blatantly walked off. Feng Ming walked him out the main door, “Now that Lie Er is gone, when can I actually start my trip?”

Rong Hu, who was responsible for this matter, reported, “I have sent someone to contact Luo Deng, other than the fleet of ships, we also need to wait for Master Xiao’s elite men to come. After ensuring enough security, Duke Ming will be ready to leave.”

FM: How long will that take?

RH: The earliest would be four to five days.

FM: Four to five days? (Feng Ming had a face like he was crying) Rong Tian is not here, Lie Er is also gone, Zi Yan and the rest went with Rong Tian. This is like the time I’ve been confined inside the Prince’s Quarters, being bored to death.

 RH: (frowning) How are you bored to death? Duke Ming has many things to do. I’m afraid that these four or five days may pass quickly. I still have many things to prepare. I’ll take my leave first, Duke Ming.”

Feng Ming held onto Rong Hu’s arm tightly, asking curiously, “You just said that I have many things to do?”

RH: Didn’t Prime Minister mentioned it to you? FM: Like what...?”

“Duke Ming...” Chiu Yue carefully poked Feng Ming in the back, “Duke Ming, look in front of you, there are two bozos there.”

Feng Ming looked up.

Sure enough, appearing within his view were the towering figures of Lie Zhong Shi and Lie Dou.

Lie Zhong Shi came to send a message on behalf of Lie Zhong Liu.

“My brother said that in preparation for Duke Ming’s travel, you have to complete some very simple things.”

Lie Zhong Shi followed Feng Ming inside the room. Word by word, he repeated what Lie Zhong Liu had instructed him with,“Duke Ming will travel through many different nations and will encounter many different people. They will ask Duke Ming many questions upon arrival. What Duke Ming needs to do right now is to think of good responses for those questions, do not fall into moments of hesitation, not knowing what to say or replying with a wrong response, arousing ridicule.”

This person’s voice was no different from a large bell. Even though he was speaking normally, it was so loud that it shook the roof, causing dust particles to drop below.

Feng Ming nodded in agreement and said, “Ah, Prime Minister thoroughly thought about this, I’m most fearful of riddles.”

Especially if they’re not carefully answered, a wrong answer can cause several nations to dispute over sensitive issues.

That year, his weak heart could not withstand the pressure.

Chiu Lan frowned and said, “How can we know what the other person would ask?”

 “This you don’t have to worry,” Lie Zhong Shi answered bluntly and then grinned, “My brother had already prepared several questions, Duke Ming only needs to write them down on paper and think one by one about the answer.”

Feng Ming was overjoyed, Lie Zhong Liu really has a strong sense of obligation, without a bit of effort and yet he already prepared everything. He quickly ordered Chiu Yue to fetch the brush and paper. Sitting in a ready position, he focused hard, waiting for Lie Zhong Shi to say the first word.

“Then I’ll begin, you have to write it all down.” “Please start!”

LZS: The first question, Xi Lei King Rong Tian doesn’t have a status anymore, so what status is Duke Ming using to travel throughout the nations? Does your title as Duke Ming need to be removed? You have to know, Duke Ming is a title Rong Tian has given you, and since Rong Tian lost the throne, your title as Duke Ming no longer have it’s practical significance.

FM: Ah, I know this, if they ask me, I will answer...

“No need to rush.” Lie Zhong Shi is a tall uncouth person, but he’s very good at imitating the actions of others. Crossing his arms, he followed Lie Zhong Liu’s movements, “Duke Ming needs to write down every questions and then slowly think of an answer for them.”

“Er, alright.”

“The second question...”

"The third question ......"

"The fourth ......"

"The fifth ......"

Two hours later...

“So how many more questions...” Chiu Yue yawned, asking Chiu Xing who was also yawning beside her.

“Who knows?” Chiu Xing sat there in a daze, “Oh mother, this Lie Zhong Shi must be some sort of strange being. That many questions and yet he can remember them clearly?”

Standing in front of the desk, Lie Zhong Shi was still the same, with a loud voice he continued to recite, “The 97th question; Dan Lin is not a part of the continent, but is a separate island itself, what does Xi Lei King think about the policy of this nation compared to the others?”

 At the beginning, Feng Ming was full of spirit, but now he looked like he was hit by a storm, and suffered mercilessly, Lie Zhong Liu is not a human ~ Giving out so many questions, did he intend to pick on him while Rong Tian is not here?

He thought that Lie Zhong Shi came to pass a message and the questions would be no more than 10 questions, who would expect it to be as long as the Yellow River, forever flowing endlessly?

On the table were pieces of paper disorderly placed, if one were to organize them, it would be as thick as a book.

Finishing up the 97th question, Lie Zhong Shi’s voice rang out again, “Question 98th...” “There’s more?” Feng Ming began to shake.

Chiu Lan saw his pathetic state and his written words becoming more and more jumbled, so she softly said, “Duke Ming seems to be tired, allow your servant to help write for you.”

Receiving the brush in hand, she neatly wrote down the questions.

Chiu Xing brought over hot tea and requested Feng Ming to take a rest, Chiu Yue couldn’t take it any longer and asked, ”Hey, how many total questions did Prime Minister send for Duke Ming?”

Feng Ming raised his ears to listen.

Judging by Lie Zhong Liu’s strange personality, he shouldn’t have prepared a thick encyclopedia for him, did he?

If that’s the case, then there is no need for him to travel, he just have to stay inside this room, live through it and die while staying here.

Lie Zhong Shi honestly replied, “One hundred.” “Oh...” Feng Ming let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully it’s not several thousands. “However...”

“There is a however?” Feng Ming nervously chuckled, feeling relieved a second ago and now he had to tense up again.

“... Brother said after you finished writing down the questions, he will inquire about your responses the day after, therefore, Duke Ming has to think carefully about your answers starting today.”

 “He will inquire about my answers?” Oh, well that is expected.

Moreover, he has two days and one night to think about the answers. If he can’t think of any, he can always ask Rong Hu and the others for help. It shouldn’t be considered cheating, hehe.

The one hundred questions were finally written down, Lie Zhong Liu apparently gave Lie Zhong Shi other errands to do. After finishing the 100 questions, he hurried off while bringing along Lie Dou and Little Autumn with him.

Both the left and right side of the table were filled with white papers with the questions written on them.

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing went over to see, “It looks like Duke Ming won’t be bored any longer.” “The answers to these one hundred questions, just writing them would make one’s hand sore.” “That’s right and Duke Ming writes very slow.”

Feng Ming stared at the large pile of papers, he felt an oncoming throbbing headache.

FM: Well, I’ll write. Ever since I’ve stepped into this pugilist world, what’s there to be afraid of? These few minor problems? Chiu Yue, Chiu Xing, prepare the ink.

He lifted up his sleeve, sat down at the desk in an upright position and seriously thought about how to answer these questions.

Rong Tian is gone, Lie Er also left Yue Zhong, no one is there now to disturb Feng Ming’s strenuous studious session.

Feng Ming dipped his brush into the ink, struggling to answer several questions, anxiously wondering which response would be best since each nation’s relations are complicated and not knowing them clearly made him think about the question even longer.

However, occasionally he would have a sudden flash and would immediately write down the answer on paper, while expressing a merry smile of satisfaction on his face.

Sure enough, a person’s ability to survive is revealed once he is forced to reach the last step, being far from Rong Tian, his little lazy brain started to work harder.

In the evening, Rong Hu finished his own errands and returned, just when he stepped into the room, he first noticed Feng Ming working hard, scratching his head to think, so Rong Hu decided to give some praise, “Duke Ming is working hard, did Prime Minister arranged for a lot of work for you?”

 “Rong Hu, you came at the right time.” Feng Ming let go of his brush, happily grabbed Rong Hu towards the desk, and pointed to the answer he just written, “Come here and read this answer I wrote in reply to Dong Fan King offering his kingdom.”

“Alright.”

Rong Hu picked up the paper, there were ink­stains on top of it, reflecting some light, which was obvious that it was just written and is still wet.

“There are three reasons why Dong Fan King offered Dong Fan to Rong Tian...” Rong Hu looked at it while murmuring, “The first reason is because Dong Fan experienced a plague, their troops were unable to protect them; the second reason, there were two factions divided within Dong Fan, Advisor Lu Dan was worried that after he left, the rebellious faction would threaten Dong Fan King and usurp the throne; the third reason is...”

“The third reason is because they are optimistic about the strength and capacity of Rong Tian and I.” Feng Ming answer for himself, feeling very satisfied about his answer, proudly raising his head.

Rong Hu nodded, “Troops, dignitaries, along with trust, can be considered an orderly answer.”

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing sneered at Feng Ming from the sideline, “Duke Ming is very impressive, ha? Even taking his lunch and eating it on the desk, thinking while eating, so far he only answered 13 questions.”

“There’s more.” Chiu Lan shook her head, “The ink almost dried up too, oh Duke Ming, there was a point when he didn’t take a glance off from his papers, and not even taking time to eat. But I don’t care, tonight’s dinner you are not allowed to eat next to your desk. You have to finish eating before working again.”

Feng Ming couldn’t win against her. That evening, he was dragged to the dining room to eat. After eating he immediately went to continue writing until the three maids repeatedly urged him to go to sleep.

Just like that, two days and one night went by, Feng Ming and his maids were busy staying up late and in the end, finally finished.

“All done! Hooray!”

After writing 100 responses, Feng Ming felt like he had completed a major project. With red eyes, he ran wild in the room, excitedly cheering.

Chiu Lan laughed, “Oh heavens, we finally finished, but Prime Minister hasn’t seen them yet, we don’t know whether he’ll approve them or not.”

 Feng Ming solemnly said, “Either way, I have poured all my heart and soul to complete them, if it’s not 80% then 60% will do. Wait until Prime Minister comes here, read one page of my response, he’ll have to give me at least a praise on effort.”

“Duke Ming, take a look! Those two are back again!” Chiu Yue suddenly pointed out at the window, shouting, “Little Autumn, Little Autumn, come over here!”

Little Autumn was on top of Lie Zhong Shi’s shoulders, along with Lie Dou stepped forward. After seeing Chiu Yue several times, Little Autumn gradually became close to her, hearing her call, Little Autumn responded, jumping down from Lie Zhong Shi’s shoulder, across the window and into Chiu Yue’s arms, waving its tail to greet her.

“Lie Zhong Shi, I have answered all the one hundred questions!” Feng Ming was busy for so long, his mood was lifted and he was feeling very satisfied about his accomplishment, waiting for his teacher to give his approval. Seeing Lie Zhong Shi entered, he grabbed him and said, “Come, you and I will go together to see Prime Minister and see if he’s satisfied with my answers.”

Lie Dou shook his head, “No need to go! No need to go!” Feng Ming feeling surprised asked, “Why not?”

“The elder master said, if we smell the scent of ink when entering the door, then we just need to take a look at one answer alone.”

“Ah? Just one answer?” Chiu Yue was surprised, “Just one?”

Lie Zhong Shi was the number one person in reporting messages, Lie Zhong Liu wanted him to convey his every words, “The 13th question, why did Dong Fan King offer his kingdom?”

“Why Dong Fan King offered his kingdom? Ah, ah, I know, wait for me a bit.” Feng Ming went to the desk, and searched through the stack of papers. After a while, he pulled out a sheet, “I’ve found it! This is it! The answer to why Dong Fan King offered his kingdom.”

Who would have thought that with just one glance, Lie Zhong Shi casually said, “It’s all wrong.” Feng Ming was stunned, “Wrong?”

It’s not right?

That can’t be, it should at least pass or meet the expectations, right?

Chiu Xing was in grievance for Feng Ming, “You big man shouldn’t talk nonsense, you didn’t even read all of it, how can Duke Ming got it all wrong?”

“That’s right! You haven’t even read it!”

 Lie Zhong Shi shrugged his shoulders, with a helpless look, he replied, “My brother said, the answer is just two words. He wrote so many words like this, of course it’s wrong.”

“What? Two words?” Chiu Lan curiously asked.

Lie Dou who was standing nearby answered, “Those two words are: Heaven’s Will (Destiny)”

“Heaven’s will?” Feng Ming started scratching his head.

Well...that is a complete answer...

Indeed, an answer that only Lie Zhong Liu can think of.

But why is it Heaven’s Will?

“The message my brother asked me to send, I have completed it. I will be going now.”

Feng Ming quickly asked, “Prime Minister doesn’t have anything else to tell me?”

“Yes, my brother said that he is very busy, Duke Ming does not need to disturb him.”

“Ah?”

He was planning on finding Lie Zhong Liu to ask about the matter clearly..

Chiu Yue was reluctant for Little Autumn to leave, while playing with it, she said, “Can Little Autumn stay here to play with us?”

Before she could finish, Little Autumn understood what she said and it cried out, scared of being left behind, it suddenly jumped onto Lie Zhong Shi’s shoulders, tightly clutching on his clothes, giving a deadly stare of not wanting to be left behind.

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing let out an annoying sigh.

Waiting until Lie Zhong Shi left, Feng Ming turned back to look at the mess on the table, his “accomplishment” sitting there as a sense of frustration started to build up.

It was a rare moment for him to put in so much effort, if Rong Tian was here, he didn’t know if Rong Tian would have praised him. Lie Zhong Liu didn’t even take one look, he even told his people to help pass a message and with one answer, he rejected everything.

What a cruel teacher...

Seeing how unhappy Feng Ming was, Chiu Lan tried to comfort him, “Duke Ming, I’ll arrange this for you.”

 “Duke Ming doesn’t need to be sad like this, no matter what, the task Prime Minister gave you is now completed. Duke Ming didn’t even have any leisure time and was not lazy, we can testify to it.” Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue chimed in.

Rong Hu happened to come in at this time, noticing that the atmosphere was not right, he curiously asked, “What happened?”

CL: It’s Prime Minister. Duke Ming had worked hard on writing the answers and yet he didn’t even bother to take a look. He even said he was busy, telling Duke Ming not to disturb him.

After listening to Chiu Lan, Rong Hu pondered for a moment before speaking, “His Majesty had said before, Prime Minister has his own ways of doing things, ‘swordplay has many hidden mysteries, unfathomable, the way of the sword is just like a stroke of a brush with hidden meanings.’ Heaven’s will...these two words, they look simple, but in fact, contains deep meaning. Maybe Duke Ming needs to ponder a bit more about Prime Minister’s words.”

Feng Ming sat straight on the chair. After listening to Rong Hu, he regained his conscience, silently nodding, “Heaven’s will...”

In preparation for the upcoming trip, without Rong Tian by his side, he will have to use his brain and focus hard to understand Lie Zhong Liu’s teaching.

The next few days, Lie Zhong Liu did not appear at all.

Feng Ming listened carefully to Rong Hu’s suggestion, rereading all one hundred questions by Lie Zhong Liu once more, and pondering hard about the meaning behind “Heaven’s will.”

“Comparing to His Majesty, Prime Minister sure knows how to make one obediently listen to him.”

In a short time, the plan to travel through the nations was in front of their eyes. After five days, the people who have been sent returned with a response message.

Luo Deng will lead a big fleet of Master Xiao’s ships to the nearest pier not far from Yue Zhong within four days to await further orders. By that time, the group of Master Xiao’s elite men will also have arrived to escort the well­known Young Master on his way.

“The big day has finally arrived!”

Rong Hu got the message, rushing over to Feng Ming, he reported, “Prime Minister also received the news. Prime Minister said that the mountains have a shortcut and will lead us to the pier just in time to meet up with Luo Deng in four days.”

Chiu Yue exclaimed, “Then shouldn’t we head out today?”

 “Yes, starting today.”

The long­awaited journey that everyone had been looking forward to has finally started!” Everyone was thrilled, bursting out in an uproar.

Just thinking about starting the journey, Feng Ming was excited no less, his eyes lit up, “Great! All of you have prepared all the baggage, I also have nothing to prepare. We’ll just bid Prime Minister goodbye. However, if we meet, he might ask about the meaning behind the words “Heaven’s

will,” how will I reply? He definitely loves to ask me those types of questions...” He frowned, “I have thought about it for several days and I vaguely understand it, but if he tells me to explain it, I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“Duke Ming, rest assured.” Rong Hu laughed, “I have just told him that you might find him to bid farewell, Prime Minister said that there’s no need to. As for the meaning behind “Heaven’s will,” he wants Duke Ming to just follow your instincts, you don’t need to worry about your decisions. Success and failure is up to Heaven’s will, no need to worry too much. As for his meaning, Duke Ming will understand it during this trip.”

Feng Ming was surprised and asked, “Prime Minister just said to start going? No need to bid him farewell?”

“That’s right.”

At this time, Lie Zhong Shi brought Little Autumn and Lie Dou along.

This two large men along with their little creature are inseparable, always appearing and leaving together, just like Siamese children.

The two of them were carrying baggages on their shoulders, not large but not small, there were no similarities in shapes and sizes, even the color was different. The one on Lie Zhong Shi’s shoulder was black, and the color of the baggage for Lie Dou was red, which were the same as their clothing.

Lie Dou saw Feng Ming and quickly said, “Our elder master said, Duke Ming can start travelling today, no need to bid him farewell since we will meet each other soon.”

Feng Ming was like a child leaving his home on his first journey, he was hoping for a scene where everyone would line up and bid farewell, but yet found out that Lie Zhong Liu wasn’t even intending to see him off, just “kicking him out the door” making him feel a bit lost.

Lie Zhong Shi secretly observed his facial expression, then he suddenly laughed, “My brother said, if Duke Ming looked like he is sad, just tell him...”

“Tell me what?” Feng Ming suddenly raised his head.

 “My brother asked me to pass the message, once Duke Ming steps outside of Yue Zhong, he has to take on a manly endeavor to stand within the world, Duke Ming’s reliance on others must be exterminated because everyone’s life is now within Duke Ming’s hands, do you understand?”

Feng Ming came to a realization as he nodded, “I understand!”

Lie Zhong Liu is right. The reason why he wanted to meet Lie Zhong Liu was because he was feeling uneasy and felt psychologically dependent on him. He had been under Rong Tian’s strict protectiveness for too long, but now he has to make his own decisions. Leaving Yue Zhong, everything will be different, he can’t rely on others since they will now rely on him.

He has the responsibility of looking after the life and death of those who follow him. This is a very huge responsibility.

“Since we don’t need to bid farewell to Prime minister, then Duke Ming, we should start heading out!”

Feng Ming nodded his head grimly, revealing a sense of determination. His eyes slowly turned toward the main gate, and shouted out, “All my followers, head towards Aman River – let’s head out!” Under the surging passion, using a Beijing opera voice, Feng Ming roared out into the distance.

"AH!" Tong Er, lying on Xi Lei King’s dragon bed screamed out, waking up with his forehead drenched in sweat.

His trembling hand rubbed his ice cold forehead, his hands covered in cold sweat. The sound of panic footsteps quickly rushed forward and stopped in front of the door. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Tong Er was distracted for a moment before recognizing the voice of his confidante who was with him during his childhood times within the Tong residence; he exhaled a breath of air, “Come in, what time is it right now?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, it’s already morning.” Uncle Zhang calmly walked his body over, lifting the silk screen within the King’s palace, the bright sunlight shone through the room onto Tong Er, suddenly blinding him that he had to raise his hand to block out the light.

Uncle Zhang glanced over at Tong Er’s face with his cloudy eyes, “Your Majesty, did you have another nightmare?”

 Tong Er nodded his head. These past nights he had been restless. His face was pale with loss of spirit, suddenly with a violent voice he yelled, “Those physicians are all useless, they can’t do anything. Prescribing so many different sedative medications, but not a bit effective. I’m still experiencing nightmares, if I still can’t have a peaceful sleep tonight, I will definitely execute that Physician surnamed Chu and make his head fly!”

“Your Majesty, you must not.” Uncle Zhang slowly spoke out, “He is a close relative, a nephew of the veteran General Chu, if you kill him, you will greatly offend General Chu.”

Tong Er impatiently grunted, “I am the Great King, and yet I can’t mess with an old man? That old fool Chu Xiao who is reluctant to die, he is of old age, he should hand over his military power and retire at home peacefully. Yet every single day he would drag his half­dead, half­living self over to the court hall. I’ve sent my countless military cronies within the army, but he sent them all in mad confusion, he clearly doesn’t have what it takes to hold onto military power. From what I see, he deliberately wants to piss me off!” His eyes flashing fiercely.

“Your Majesty, you are the King, there are future opportunities to deal with this Chu Xiao.” Uncle Zhang had taken care of this young master since he was young, no matter how angry Tong Er was, he still calmly spoke with him, “Let’s deal with this in the future. As of right now, Your Majesty cannot offend General Chu, especially if Rong Tian decides to return and mobilize a siege. We still need to rely on these people to deal with Rong Tian. Once we successfully dealt with Rong Tian, it still isn’t late for Your Majesty to deal with them. If you were to create tension, it will only be unfavorable for you.”

Perhaps Uncle Zhang’s tone of voice helped Tong Er calm down a bit. Tong Er listened quietly to his words, slowly extinguishing the anger inside. Lowering his head to think for a moment, he sighed and then said, “Alright, I will first deal with Rong Tian, afterwards, I will get rid of them one by one.” His merciless expression appeared in his eyes.

For a short while, he glanced over at Uncle Zhang and whispered, “Uncle Zhang, every night I would have nightmares, always in a state of confusion. I would always dream of killing scenes where Rong Tian is holding a sword and stabbing straight at me, piercing through my body, even pulling out my heart upon withdrawal... Do you believe that Rong Tian would attack Xi Lei? If he does attack...where would he find a large army to attack our big nation?”

Ever since growing up, he had looked up and admired Rong Tian, he even followed Rong Tian and learned swordplay from him, so he’s very clear of Rong Tian’s ability.

The Xi Lei King whom he stole the throne from, is more fearsome than any other person he knew. From the time he heard that Rong Tian was not dead, he never had a peaceful day.

If he knew being a Great King would have him be fearful each day, being restrained by ministers and officials, unlike the time when he indulged himself as Young Master Tong, then he wouldn’t

 have listened to that “Yu” person and conspired with Lu Dan to capture Feng Ming, and seize the throne from Rong Tian.

If he knew about this earlier, he wouldn’t have done so.

His mother was Xi Lei’s Princess, and his father was a person within the Tong family, a genuine noble with royal blood.

From the time he was young, there was someone in the family who told him, he had the chance of inheriting the Xi Lei throne in the future because comparing to the Crown Prince within the Xi Lei Palace, he was much more capable.

At that time, he didn’t understand what the throne meant, what was the right of inheritance, but that one line he always remembered – compared to the Crown Prince, he was much more capable!

The Crown Prince?

An He?

How can An He be compared to him?

An He was a timid, stupid, coward, weakling. All of the shortcomings that anyone can have in the world were all placed onto him, a pitiful soul who was hidden in the depths of Xi Lei palace, even his own mother, the Queen, didn’t like him.

The only praise An He had, was his face. However, after Tong Er accidentally saw Rong Tian forcing An He beneath his body behind the screen, he was shocked nonetheless. It was then that he realized, even with a pretty face, it wasn’t really a positive point.

A Crown Prince being played around like an object?

Xi Lei King’s monarchy, would he have to fall into the hands of such a vile person?

Any Xi Lei person would be reluctant to have such a King like that.

Therefore, while An He was walking alone in the garden, Tong Er pushed him into the lake. He never imagined that that one second of mischief he made, would create a huge catastrophe.

In his eyes, drowning An He was no different than crushing a bug.

This bug, who Tong Er wanted so badly to disappear, had been dangling long enough; therefore, Tong Er couldn’t help but give him an unexpected death.

No one should care about a bug.

 But the world is constantly changing in ridiculous ways.

After An He was saved, he changed into a completely different person.

Originally, the An He in Rong Tian’s eyes was nothing to him, but yet he became valued each day and originally, Tong Er’s relationship with Rong Tian was great, but became distant as days passed.

Tong Er had intended that once An He died, he would become the Crown Prince.

Once he ascended the throne, Rong Tian would be his most valued minister, and that Rong Tian could help him become a well­known monarch. He appreciated Rong Tian, worshipped Rong Tian, and respected Rong Tian.

However, the result became a total mess.

An He didn’t die, he was rescued, not only that, he was more and more beloved each day. Rong Tian cherished him, the ministers praised his “wisdom,” when he went to Fan Jia, he was supposed to be shredded into eight pieces by Fan Jia Princess, the result instead was An He, bringing Fan Jia Princess to Xi Lei and even diffusing the simmering conflict among the two nations.

A clever person who encountered these things would become confused.

Tong Er became confused every day, and in the end, he snapped! Just like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, striking his muddled head – An He wasn’t the Crown Prince, An He was not even An He, he was called Feng Ming.

However, the most ridiculous matter was beyond that.

As he expected, Rong Tian, the minister of state he admired, the one he trusted to assist him in becoming a well­known ruler in the world, was actually the true heir to the throne.

“Is Your Majesty regretting it?” Uncle Zhang asked in a whisper.

Tong Er went silent without saying anything.

Regret? It’s already too late.

Who told him to take action? To push that An He into the lake?

Who would have thought his little action would be witnessed by a darn maid? Who would have expected that maid was An He’s old lover?

 What’s even unexpected was that his secret was spread and caught the attention of Lu Dan from the faraway Dong Fan.

The secret letter Lu Dan sent was personally sent to him by Cai Qing, Tong Er was shocked, cold sweat covered his entire body.

In other words, the attempted murder of the Crown Prince, even if he was a substitute, it was a capital offense.

That beautiful Advisor Lu Dan was like a poisonous snake, he only gave Tong Er two choices.

To conspire with Lu Dan, assist him in capturing Feng Ming or the secret he hid from Rong Tian would be exposed.

If that year An He was just a bug, then how could the present day Feng Ming be an untouchable precious treasure of Rong Tian? That year, if he had killed An He, who was Feng Ming, and if that reaches the ears of Rong Tian, what would be his ending?

Tong Er certainly would not choose the road of admitting his crime and surrendering to death. He was born a noble, he was outstanding and still young.

If he was at fault, then it was only one...no, even two are not a problem. He made up his mind, wrote a letter in reply to Lu Dan, agreeing to work with him, creating a scheme to lure the precious Feng Ming away from Rong Tian, as long as Lu Dan guaranteed to not disclose his secret.

Everything from there on, spiraled out of control.

Everything had gone out of hand. To the point when he slept on the dragon bed, the place where Rong Tian had slept, he continued to have nightmares, frightful ones.

The most beautiful man in the world, this vicious beautiful advisor was dead. Only he is left, an unwilling culprit who chose to protect his life, was suffering night and day from torment, fearing that Rong Tian would seek his revenge.

What kind of karma is this?

“Then can Your Majesty retreat?” Uncle Zhang asked once more in a low tone. Tong Er coldly answered, “Do I even have the opportunity to retreat?”

“If Your Majesty understands, then that’s enough.” Uncle Zhang desperately coughed for awhile, holding onto his chest until he finally recovered, he weakly continued, “Those within this palace

 can always change their minds, only Your Majesty cannot repent and retreat. Rong Tian can forgive anyone, but will he be willing to spare Your Majesty?”

After listening, Tong Er nodded his head, “I understand.” His eyes were still the eyes of a young man, but were unmoved, filled with cold bitterness that were not there before.

“There is also one more thing, your old servant wished to tell Your Majesty.” “What is it?”

“To capture the one who have been causing your nightmares...”

Oh?

“The physicians continuously prescribed medication, but there hasn’t been any improvement, your servant believes that it doesn’t seem like an illness.”

After hearing that, Tong Er felt something wasn’t right, he frowned, “If it is not an illness, then what is it?”

“It has to be...someone who’s trying to harm Your Majesty? It could be a curse, or some sort of poison...”

“Who dares to do such immoral acts?” Tong Er suddenly stood up in fury, “They dare to...” “Your Majesty don’t need to be in haste, your servant is just speculating...”

Just then a few maids who were waiting outside, preparing the warm water and clothes, entered through the door. Tong Er saw them from the corner of his eyes and shouted, “Who told you to come in? All of you, scram! Someone! Come! Those who dare to trespass inside my chamber, drag them out of here and beat them all to death! Where are the guards? Where are they? Hurry and come here!”

Those maids who realized that punishment will be crushing down on them, trembled with fear. Dropping the items in hand, their whole body fell to the ground as they cried out, “Your Majesty, please have mercy! Please have mercy!”

Not hearing another word, Tong Er called for the guards, ordering them to drag the maids outside to perform the beating.

Uncle Zhang, standing next to him, whispered, “What is Your Majesty angry for? Those maids were rash, just giving them a few whips will be good enough, if you hastily beat them to death, I’m afraid someone might be resentful.”

Tong Er’s face flashed a moment of hesitation, but after thinking for a moment, he fiercely clenched his teeth and said, “Since I can’t take care of a bunch of ministers, does that mean I

 can’t even teach those lowly maids a lesson? Those maids are just a bunch of worthless crap, not even worth worrying about. As for the thing you just said, I find it very likely.” His face changed color, and his tone of voice lowered, “Uncle Zhang, you are my most trusted aide, this matter is related to my life, I’ll assign you to investigate it for me.”

Being entrusted with the task, Uncle Zhang was quiet before answering slowly, “This matter, should I discuss it with General Tong about it?”

“No need.” Tong Er abruptly stopped him, with a sigh, he explained, “From the time I decided to cooperate with King of Li to deal with Rong Tian, my uncle’s attitude became increasingly strange. This rare opportunity to attack Rong Tian, my uncle suddenly offered to personally ambush him, I already felt it was strange. Sure enough, not only did the ambush fail, we sacrificed a lot of troops. The entire army was annihilated and yet the main commander returned unscathed, how can that be possible? I believe that he is secretly cooperating with Rong Tian...” Not knowing what came to mind, once the matter was uttered, he suddenly paused.

Tong Er clenched his fist, pacing in a circle twice within his chamber, he suddenly loosened his grip, feeling a bit relaxed, “Forget it, you don’t need to bother with that matter, the first thing is to investigate about the origins of my nightmares. If this is due to someone’s deliberate attempt of harming me, I will definitely bring him out and chop him into thousands of pieces.” Pausing for a bit before nervously asking, “Has there been any recent news about Rong Tian?”

“None.”

“After Rong Tian’s campsite was destroyed by the fire, there haven’t been any news of him?”

“That’s right.” Uncle Zhang added, “However, we had complied with what Your Majesty commanded; we’ve sent spies to retrieve some news, I believe we will soon hear of Rong Tian’s whereabouts.”

Tong Er stood silent for a moment, suddenly in terror, he quivered, “Uncle Zhang, do you think that he sneaked into the capital already?”

“Your Majesty shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” Seeing Tong Er’s frightened expression as if he witnessed his mother’s death, Uncle Zhang watched him with eyes of affection, using the voice he once cradled him to sleep, he softly said, “Your Majesty is the biological son of Xi Lei Princess, you are of royal bloodline. Why do you have to be wary of Rong Tian? You are the same as Rong Tian, the same blood flowing inside you. Rong Tian did something against the Heaven’s will. He refused to marry a Queen and conspired to create the Grace’s Order in an attempt to shake the foundation of Xi Lei. Even the former Kings who had passed away would abandon him and choose you as their Great King.”

Listening to his reasoning, Tong Er gradually quieted down.

 His frightened expression slowly disappeared, he exhaled and whispered, “That’s right, even the former Kings would not blame me...” Just like a child being forgiven for his wrongdoings, he expressed a sense of relief.

In a blink of an eye, he returned to his former Young Master Tong’s domineering ways.

Outside, the cries of the maids have gradually died down, a short moment later, the guards in charge of the torture came running in to report, “Your Majesty, those maids who trespassed within your chambers could no longer bear the beating and are now dead.”

“Drag them out and bury the dead, what’s there to report?” Without taking much notice, Tong Er casually spoke, his lips not even revealing a trace of smile, “Tell them to send another group of maids over here. Wait, also send for some young boys, the few well­behaved types tonight.”

The cute face, innocent eyes, and tender body. Maybe they can help drive away those terrible nightmares.

“Send out my order, I will not be sleeping here tonight. Have the Crown Prince’s Quarters swept clean, I want to sleep there. What are you still standing there foolishly for? Hurry up and get going!”

“Yes! We’ll carry it out right away!”

Tong Er looked at the jittery attendants as he ordered them to work, his lips curved upward into a grin.

The Crown Prince’s Quarters, he wants to head over there tonight, using those innocent docile bodies to vent his anger that he can’t release anywhere else.

That year, when Rong Tian ravished An He by force, no, Feng Ming, that damn Duke Ming; holding Feng Ming’s naked body, thrusting back and forth in that forbidden area, it was inside the Crown Prince’s quarters.

Feng Ming, you should have just become that bug I killed years ago.

If I ever capture you alive, I will certainly take you over to the Crown Prince’s quarters.

Turning you from a shining precious young man into the world’s most wretched damaged goods, tortured ruthlessly, until you cry out begging for mercy, dying a tragic death!

An annoying bug like that, how can it be loved and appreciated by everyone? How hateful!

 ========

Yong Yin.

Feng Ming’s journey has finally started!

Although there is Lou Deng and the other skilled swordsmen of Master Xiao, anything regarding Feng Ming’s life, no one dares to make any mistake. Among the departure group, excluding the three palace maids, the rest were selected from the troops within Yue Zhong to come along. They were the most skillful among the elite troops under Rong Hu’s command, a total of a hundred men will follow Feng Ming along the road.

Lie Zhong Liu placed Rong Hu in charge of the map; therefore, they successfully found a shortcut through the forest and on the fourth day, they reached the Aman shore as scheduled.

One magnificent large ship was already docked at the small port, Luo Deng and his men were waiting for Feng Ming’s arrival.

“The ship has been thoroughly cleaned, the rooms have been newly decorated. Young Lord, please inspect.”

Feng Ming proudly boarded the ship, everything was rearranged and decorated very luxuriously. He felt it was a shame to have such precious things on the deck of the boat, but Luo Deng said that according to the letter he received, Feng Ming wanted many things displayed excessively. Feng Ming knew that the one who could have possibly written the letter was Rong Tian.

Luo Deng explained that if its not displayed this way, then how can they show how wealthy the Xiao family is? Also, he felt that the weather was nice and Feng Ming could enjoy the view and sip hot tea at the same time. But if the weather is bad and it starts raining, then they could

always pack up the items and bring them inside. He asked Feng Ming if he wanted to pack up the things instead?

FM: No need, since it’s already like this, just let it be. You have arranged it very well, it’s my fault for saying otherwise.

Luo Deng did not expect the Young Lord to give a compliment so he was slightly surprised. This Young Lord was kind and his attitude was completely different from the elder Master.

He had worked for the Xiao family for many years, with the same look on his face, he bowed down and said, “It’s my duty.”

“But...how come there is only one ship?”

 LD: The letter states that the focus of the people should not be on Yue Zhong and Young Lord’s location of boarding the ship should not be known to others. Since this is the Xiao Family’s ship, people’s attention will be hard to avoid, therefore, I ordered the other ships to separate themselves along the Aman River so no one will know the exact time Young Lord boards the ship.

Luo Deng later mentioned that according to their arrangement, there will be at least two ships that will arrive here before the evening to meet up.

After asking what time the men will arrive, Rong Hu found out that there is another hour where they won’t have the backup if an enemy ambush happens. So for the time being, he had split out the one hundred guards he brought along. Thirty of them will be guarding within the forest, thirty will be at the pier, thirty will be surveying around the ship, while the remaining ten will be following beside Feng Ming.

When Feng Ming heard that ten men will stand guard next to him, it was no difference than being locked in a cage. But as the Big Boss, he must consider the greater good for everyone, so he didn’t object. As for Luo Deng, he told Rong Hu that it’s very safe on the ship and Rong Hu’s men only needs to guard the vicinity outside the ship. As for the Young Lord’s safety, his men can protect him.

Rong Hu figured that if the enemies knew that Duke Ming is aboard the ship then their focus will be on the ship; therefore, he rather have Rong Tian’s elite soldiers who can battle against one hundred stay on the ship.

“The Xiao Family also has no less of skillful swordsmen.”

RH: I understand that the men within the Xiao family are all skillful swordsmen, but Duke Ming needs to have our elite men besides him. I’ve received His Majesty’s order to protect Duke Ming, so I can’t allow Duke Ming to leave our sight.

LD: The Young Lord’s safety, our Xiao family are naturally in charge. During this trip, the protection of the Young Lord’s safety is also our duty. General Rong, if you and your men can aid on the outside, then Luo Deng will be very grateful.

Feng Ming opened his mouth in amazement as he looked at Rong Hu and Luo Deng.

How wonderful, the enemies have not yet to appeared, but a quarrel seems to be brewing up?

Feng Ming tried to interrupt them, but Rong Hu told him, “Anything Duke Ming says is useless.” Staring directly at Luo Deng, he said, “This trip was originally planned for me and the one hundred elite guards to protect Duke Ming closely, while the Xiao Family’s men are to act as secondary protection.”

 Feng Ming fell silent.

With his stubborn attitude, it seems that there’s a little chance to convince Rong Hu.

Luo Deng slightly smiled, his attitude was very respectful and seemed to be the one to give in.

FM: Luo Deng, Rong Hu is following Rong Tian’s order to stay by my side. He has to carry out his duties so there is no other way. That’s why the one in charge of protecting me is him. Haha, all of you are here to protect me, so it doesn’t matter who is protecting on the outside or not.

Luo Deng stooped down and with a wry smiled, he said, “It’s not because this subordinate wants to argue with Young Lord’s orders, but...there is no other option. This was

Chapter end