In the heart of a town within Mo Nation, the restless chatters of the people were heard. Excitement spread from all corners, markets booming with laughter and joy.
“The Mo Nation has successfully destroyed one of the Li Nation’s strongest cavalry. This is all because of General Tang. Although he was sent on a separate mission, he was able to successfully devise a plan to defeat the Li Nation’s cavalries.”
“I heard that General Tang is returning back today. Who knows just how many lives General Tang saved with his plan, successfully leading the Mo Nation to win with such a wonderful strategy.”
“Of course, after all, General Tang is the most powerful of all generals. He has a long history at war, able to break apart the enemy without a struggle. If the General was not busy in the mountains, he would’ve come back in time.”
Listening to these conversations, two men walked side by side. The sun was high in the air, and it successfully brought out the features on their face that caused a commotion.
“It seems like your name is spreading even more now.” Lu Fengmian leaned towards Tang Qingshan as he smile slightly.
Tang Qingshan shook his head lightly, “No, these praises belong rightfully to you and Yingyue. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to help the Mo Nation break out of the trap that the Li Nation had us in.”
“Yes, but even if we had thought of these strategies, without your position, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything. You also planned out the strategies too, there is no need to be modest.” Lu Fengmian merely dismissed.
By the time Tang Qingshan and his soldier had returned to Wuwei, Tang Qingshan took his cavalry of 10,000 soldiers and marched to destroy the Li Nation’s cavalry in Qingyang. The war was still going on, but Tang Qingshan and Lu Fengmian had snuck away into a town to investigate some information.
As they sat down in a small restaurant, they each took a sip of tea as they began scanning the people within the restaurant.
Truth be told, Lu Fengmian was beginning to understand how hard Tang Qingshan had to live, but at the same time, he began feeling this sense of fear from deep within him that Lu Fengmian loathed. But he pushed away his thoughts even as he began to focus on his task.
It didn’t take long for another group of people to sit next to them, their bodies covered with elaborate designs. Lu Fengmian and Tang Qingshan had, of course, noticed, but they continued to talk to one another whilst listening to the men by them.
“I can’t believe that the Emperor’s dog made it back in time and even stopped Wu Shuang. If he was just a bit slower, that would’ve give me enough time to help my sister climb and fool the Emperor.” It was a whisper so low, no one else could hear if they weren’t next to the man, but both Lu Fengmian and Tang Qingshan had higher senses. Thus, even as they talked to one another, they clearly heard everything.
“Didn’t the Emperor send you to defeat Wu Shuang? How did you get out of it?”
“How else did I do it? I fooled him. After all, with that royal bast*rd taking in an Empress, he successfully ruined all my plans to put my sister in that seat.” The man noticeably gritted his teeth, his voice coming out with anger.
Tang Qingshan glanced towards Lu Fengmian’s face, meeting his eyes that also stared back at him with the same smile on his lips as he took a sip of the tea.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lu Fengmian noticed Tang Qingshan’s stare and merely lifted his face with a smile. Noticing that their actions might start to get suspicious, Lu Fengmian called to a nearby waiter.
The waiter noticed them right away. How could he not when two handsome man were sitting together? Without thinking much, he was able to tell that these two were nobles, their every actions were suitable to to be young masters of nobility.
“Two sires, is there anything that I can get for you?” The waiter came to their table at once, looking at the very handsome and elegant young man who had a smile on his face.
“Please give me a bottle of your finest wine.” As Lu Fengmian said this, he reached for a gold tael from his sleeve and handed it to the waiter. He could feel Tang Qingshan’s stare getting rather intense.
The waiter trembled in delight, in awe of the blessing that had just come upon him. A gold tael! He had only ever heard of it, never seen one before. This amount of money, it was something that he would never be able to earn even if he worked all his life.
Accepting it with trembling hands, the waiter replied with enthusiasm, “Of course, sires. I will bring our finest wine for you. Please wait for a moment.” He walked away fast after this.
Tang Qingshan looked at Lu Fengmian, “You know, you are quite kind.”
Hearing this, Lu Fengmian froze, not knowing what to say. His lips curved as he chuckled lightly. “No, I just thought, this town is quite remote, yet the people here seem to be happy with their lives.”
Saying this, his eyes turned to the group of men who were still whispering to themselves.
The words were clear in his ears, and even Tang Qingshan turned back upon hearing something.
“Is your sister pregnant?”
Mian Shu, Concubine Mian’s younger brother, a third-ranked General. He was man who was very sly, only seeking for his benefit.
Mian Shu’s face suddenly darkened as he heard this. He looked around once, making sure that no one was spying on him before he leaned closer to the men and whispered very quietly. “The child does not belong to the Emperor. My sister had been trying to gain the Prince of Yue, Mo Shen’s support. The child belongs to Prince Yue.”
Tang Qingshan’s eyes suddenly darkened, his hand that held the small cup tightened. Lu Fengmian looked at him, and only then did Tang Qingshan calm himself. He was good friends with Mo Chou, it was why he worked hard to keep Mo Nation safe. Knowing that a mere concubine was actually pregnant with Mo Shen’s child, he was, of course, angered. It made it much worse that Mo Shen was someone who Mo Chou trusted.
“Two sires, this here is our diner’s finest wine, called Blossoming Flowers. My name is Wu Fan, the manager of this diner. As a gift for the two sires kindness, the owner of this establishment has invited you to meet with him.” Wu Fan held a bottle of wine in his hand, bending his back slightly as his other hand showed them towards a different direction. He wasn’t handsome, his face very normal and plain, yet there was a gleaming in his eyes that showed deep calculations.
Of course, Lu Fengmian and Tang Qingshan had noticed at once. Looking back at each other, Lu Fengmian nodded his head to Tang Qingshan.
Tang Qingshan raised his head as he replied swiftly, “Then we will have to burden you to guide us.” Saying this, he sent one final quick glance at Mian Shu before he stood up, Lu Fengmian following.
Wu Fan sent a quick look towards the group of men nearby as he guided Tang Qingshan and Lu Fengmian to the second floor and into one of the VVIP rooms, reserved for the highest of nobles.
“Please enter,” Wu Fan opened the door, standing to the side as he waited for Tang Qingshan and Lu Fengmian to enter.
As soon as they entered, Wu Fan closed the door, following after them.
Inside of the room, a man with brown hair was looking out the window. In his hand, a fan was seen, his other hand holding onto a cup of wine. Upon turning to look back, there was a welcoming smile on his face, yet, it was unable to mask the treacherous emotions within his eyes.
“It is a pleasure to meet the famous General Tang. Please do take a seat.” The man said with alluring eyes, a crimson mark on his forehead, dipped like a painting. Unlike Lu Fengmian’s gentle beauty, this man fully displayed a manner of fierceness and carelessness.
As soon as Tang Qingshan stepped into the room, his awareness was raised a level. It was because this man in front of him, he knew that it was someone dangerous. As his eyes narrowed, he calmly walked and took a seat. This man was someone who knew of his identity, it was someone he needed to probe first.
Lui Fengmian stared at the man whose lips curved into a smile. He didn’t like this man. Those pair of eyes were too familiar to him. But even so, Lu Fengmian didn’t change his expression as he merely took a seat next to Tang Qingshan.
The man’s gray eyes gleamed as he watched them, his fan gently moving as he put down his cup back onto the table. Glancing towards Wu Fan, he said, “Come, pour them the wine.” While saying this, he took out two extra jade cups, both meticulously carved with a gentle glowing color.
The man didn’t seem to be nervous at all. His demeanor was very strong, calm as he looked at them with his glowing eyes.
Wu Fan poured the wine into the two cups, one in front of Lu Fengmian and the other in front of Tang Qingshan.
“Do take a drink. Blossoming Flowers is my most renowned creation, even the Emperor praises this wine.” As he brought up the Emperor, his lips curved into a smirk. His eyes scanned Tang Qingshan, as if he was waiting to see his reaction.
Upon hearing this man bring up Mo Chou, Tang Qingshan’s hand that was bringing the cup towards his mouth paused for a bit. His eyes flickered over to the man and calmly drunk the wine.
Lu Fengmian also tasted the wine, feeling a burning sensation fall down his throat. Things were really strange, and he couldn’t guess the whole picture as he essentially had no such information of these things.
Putting the cup down onto the table, Tang Qingshan uttered, “The wine is good, worthy of the Emperor’s praise.”
The man’s smile got even wider as he heard this. Folding his fan, he buckled a bit. “The General is just too tense. Even I cannot make you lose your strict manner.” Grabbing his cup of wine, the man drunk all of it in one gulp as he wiped his mouth. Looking up, his eyes rivaled the glare of a wild animal, berserk and dangerous. “This one’s name is Qi Longhai, a small merchant from the East.”
Upon hearing this name, Tang Qingshan’s pupils shook. Qi Longhai, the only son of the Qi Family. A man who exiled himself from the Qi Clan, cutting off all his past ties as he disappeared just like that. Qi Longhai, a man known for his craftiness, his schemes that ran wild and deep. He was someone that Tang Qingshan always heard of during his time at war. When he had returned though, Qi Longhai had already cut off his ties, exiling himself and disappearing to the unknown. He was also the man who accompanied Mo Chou when they studied under the Royal Tutor, Shui Han.
“It seems like the General has heard of my name.” While saying this, Qi Longhai’s gray eyes shone with a mirthful gleam.
Lu Fengmian searched through his memories to no avail. This name was not known by the original soul, meaning that Lu Fengmian wouldn’t be able to get any information. Though, Lu Fengmian could already tell that Qi Longhai was a very dangerous man just from the way he acted.
“Who hasn’t heard of Young Master Qi’s name? After all, you were a man who had everyone’s eyes on you, a man coveted by all nations.” Tang Qingshan looked towards Qi Longhai’s eyes, not backing down one bit.
Qi Longhai, who faced Tang Qingshan’s menacing gaze, merely laughed. “Hah, after all these years, it seems like people still know of me. It seems like my power then wasn’t little if everyone still recalls me even after six years have passed.” Twirling the fan in his hand, Qi Longhai’s eyes were glazed with a heavy emotion.
Tang Qingshan watched the man’s display, turning his eyes to look at Lu Fengmian. The man sat quietly, carefully observing everything. Tang Qingshan could see that the man’s normal smile was gone as he looked at Qi Longhai. Even Lu Fengmian had felt the danger that Qi Longhai possessed.
Qi Longhai.
He was known as the Royal Strategist, a man who could easily ruin a nation with just a wave of his brush. He had first rose to fame when he was 12 years old, having caused a small nation to fall into ruins with his simple tactic of war. Divide and conquer. He used this strategy, devising the small nation of Shu into five different parts and sending out each cavalry to these five parts. Each cavalry were trained in their specialized power, used to aim at Shu’s weakness.
From then on, he continued to take control of Mo Nation’s soldiers, training them and devising his strategies to conquer many other nations. Taking over this role, he conquered seven small nations for Mo.
During the short five years he commanded the army, he was known as a cruel and evil person. After returning from his seventh conquered nation, Qi Longhai had fallen apart with his family. No one knew what happened, but Qi Longhai disappeared. After so many victories, he disappeared just like that, as if the man who held the world within his hand was simply a false name.
But even with his disappearance, he was still widely spoken of. It wasn’t until Tang Qingshan began to show his brilliance that the citizens of Mo Nation began having expectation that another man would be able to rival Qi Longhai, to follow after his footsteps.
Now, that very man stood before him. Qi Longhai, the man that even Mo Chou dared not to slight.
“General Tang, this name brings about a bitter taste in my mouth. I still remember when you were just a youngling.”
The man looked straight into Tang Qingshan’s eyes, his gaze suddenly piercing and sharp, as if a knife had just been wielded into Tang Qingshan’s heart.
Tang Qingshan knew all too well. No matter how powerful he was, how strong he was, there was one person he would never be able to defeat.
Qi Longhai, Conquerer of the Seven Nations.
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What? is Tang Qingshan in love with that Qi Longhai guy??? Is this the plot that Fei Shang was talking about? the one that will make mc feel painಥ╭╮ಥ
After rereading it carefully, nevermind what I just said, I think its too unlikely