Chapter 69, the Sixty-Ninth Face of Father and Son

The two armies met at Kuaiji City. Interestingly, neither Zhu Huantang nor Qin Sihai came.

When Jiang Jinyi saw the familiar face opposite him, he knew he had been tricked again. Over the years, he had fought Fan Qi, but since the two countries were evenly matched, neither dared to go all out.

When father and son are facing each other, the son can never bring himself to do it, and he is also afraid that if someone else were to do it, his father would really be hurt.

Jiang Jinyi remembers his incredibly warm and happy childhood when his parents were still alive.

His father was a strict and taciturn man, but he would always seriously teach him a lesson when he made a mistake. But apart from that, Jiang Jinyi didn't have many memories of Fan Qi.

However, since all fathers are like that, Jiang Jinyi didn't think that Fan Qi disliked him; on the contrary, he admired Fan Qi.

After all, Fan Qi could easily carry him to the rooftop with one hand to release Kongming lanterns, Fan Qi could shoot three arrows with one bow and hit the bullseye from a hundred paces away, and Fan Qi would always bring him some chestnuts, sweet cakes and other snacks when he came back... Compared to his classmates' fathers who frequented brothels and beat their wives and concubines, Fan Qi was so much better.

However, one time, for some unknown reason, Fan Qi, who was usually quiet, had a big argument with her mother and locked herself in her room with a wine jar.

Young Jiang Jinyi was terrified. He always felt that his father was suppressing something, and once that thing exploded, the father he admired and who taught him from time to time might never come back.

Young people may be ignorant, but their intuition is accurate.

When Jiang Jinyi pushed open his father's door with the hangover soup in hand, a fierce, hawk-like gaze fixed him in the doorway. Holding the bowl, Jiang Jinyi dared not enter, and said in a trembling voice, "Father, drink less."

Fan Qi's eyes cleared for only a moment before becoming slurred with drunkenness again. He snorted and took a big gulp of wine, saying, "Do you know? Your face really looks exactly like your mother's."

Shouldn't the child be like the mother?

Jiang Jinyi was more concerned than afraid. He placed the hangover soup on the table and then moved the empty wine jars that had fallen over to the side to prevent Fan Qi from tripping over them.

Suddenly, a strong force pulled Jiang Jinyi over. Fan Qi, her eyes blurry with drunkenness, looked him over and over, and finally pushed him away in disappointment, saying, "He really doesn't resemble her at all."

Jiang Jinyi stood up, suppressing his grievances, and said, "Father, drinking is bad for your health, you..."

Whoosh—

The sound of the wine jar shattering as it fell to the ground assaulted Jiang Jinyi's eardrums, and the flying shards cut his cheeks, but he was completely unaware.

Amidst the tinnitus, Jiang Jinyi watched Fan Qi's mouth open and close rapidly. He couldn't hear it, but Fan Qi's expression was truly ferocious. He suddenly felt fortunate to have experienced a brief bout of tinnitus.

In an instant, he was pulled into a warm embrace, his mother's scent slowly enveloping him. Belatedly realizing what was happening, his pent-up emotions burst forth, and he nestled in his mother's arms, weeping silently.

That kind of father was terrifying and unfamiliar, yet Jiang Jinyi felt that he was just like his true self.

The next day, when Jiang Jinyi woke up, he saw the sweet cakes on his table. He was still losing his baby teeth, and his mother wouldn't let him eat them. He knew who had put them there. The grievances of the previous day instantly melted away in the sweetness of the candy, flowing into his heart.

Children don't hold grudges. No matter what was said that day, Jiang Jinyi didn't care. He silently loved his father.

The two armies set up their respective camps. Jiang Jinyi temporarily changed his strategy, focusing on defense. He was now in his forties, while his father should be in his sixties. Although he didn't know how he managed to conceal his age, Jiang Jinyi still had concerns about his age.

However, Fan Qi clearly did not think that way. The challenge was issued, and there were no schemes or tricks involved; it was simply a head-on confrontation between the two armies.

Yan Ran was transferred to Jiang Jinyi's side due to his outstanding military achievements. He noticed Jiang Jinyi's timidity and said, "This time it was the Wu Kingdom that provoked trouble. I don't know where they heard those hearsay things. Your Highness should not just defend."

Jiang Jinyi showed mercy to Fan Qi, naturally because Fan Qi had previously shown mercy to Jiang Jinyi as well. To be honest, this battle was unlikely to break out. Even if Wu was weak, it wasn't so weak that it could be easily conquered. A protracted war that would exhaust the people and resources was simply unnecessary.

Seeing that Yanran was a promising talent, Jiang Jinyi patiently analyzed the current situation with him.

Yan Ran listened attentively and knew that Jiang Jinyi's mind was made up and could not be changed by him. He knelt on one knee and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Your Highness. This humble general has learned a lot." However, after leaving the tent, he sighed softly.

Upon entering the battlefield, Jiang Jinyi and Fan Qi faced each other from a distance, their hearts filled with mixed emotions. During the duel between the two commanders, everything seemed normal. Just when Jiang Jinyi thought that a draw would allow him to return home, Fan Qi suddenly thrust his sword straight at Jiang Jinyi's face, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Jiang Jinyi was caught off guard, but fortunately, he reacted quickly, turning his head to dodge. The blow only knocked off Jiang Jinyi's helmet.

"Father..." Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Jinyi was met with an even more intense offensive.

Jiang Jinyi repeatedly pulled his horse back, desperately resisting. Little did he know that he would fall into an encirclement that Wu's army had already prepared.

Jiang Jinyi, being a seasoned veteran, remained calm and composed, quickly regaining his composure and launching a counterattack.

Fan Qi was old after all, and his strength gradually weakened after dozens of moves. Just as Jiang Jinyi was about to capture Fan Qi alive, a tripwire caught the horse's foot.

With a tug and a pull, the horse fell to the ground and was immediately pounced on and killed by the soldiers. Blood splattered on Jiang Jinyi's body and face, foreshadowing that this battle would not end so easily.

After rolling around a few times, Jiang Jinyi stood up straight again. He killed the dozens of soldiers who surrounded him before wiping the blood from his mouth. His eyes were fierce but also puzzled: "Father, you know I never intended to kill you."

“I know, but what father and son are there on the battlefield? Your soft heart is a grave mistake.” Fan Qi showed no hesitation and prepared to continue.

Jiang Jinyi has exhausted much of his strength, and now facing the former number one on the Lone Goose Ranking, he is likely to be in grave danger.

As expected, after barely holding on for more than seventy moves, Jiang Jinyi lost his grip on both swords, his left leg broke, and he knelt on one knee.

Jiang Jinyi still held his head high and said defiantly, "Father, I will not surrender."

"You yourself are unwilling to surrender, yet you repeatedly write letters to persuade me to surrender. Why didn't your mother and that woman who claims to be your sister teach you the principle of 'do not do to yourself'?" Fan Qi's scepter pressed heavily on Jiang Jinyi's shoulder, shattering his left knee so that he could not stand up.

The cold blade pressed against Jiang Jinyi's neck, making him shiver. He suddenly realized that the words he had overlooked were his father's true feelings for him.

The fighting around him seemed irrelevant; Jiang Jinyi only wanted to find out what Fan Qi really meant to him.

Fan Qi seemed to see through his thoughts. Instead of explaining, she asked, "I heard you and your wife have three children. Do you like those children?"

Those children were only born to ensure the continuation of the family line and to consolidate power. I wouldn't say I liked them, but I didn't dislike them either; after all, they were my own children.

After understanding came endless desolation. Jiang Jinyi gripped the halberd tightly, trying to stand up with Fan Qi's help, but the bones in his left leg were shattered, and every movement caused excruciating pain. He stubbornly looked up at Fan Qi, as if he were not kneeling: "I do not hate them. I will give them everything I can."

Fan Qi looked at his own flesh and blood as if he were a naive child who knew nothing of the world, and said, "That's because your wife is not from an enemy country, and you are not a prisoner."

“My mother did not take you as a prisoner! You even have a new identity and official position in the Sui Kingdom!” Jiang Jinyi said through gritted teeth.

Is that what he wanted? Is that what he was willing to do? His own flesh and blood grew up eating the food and drinking the water of the enemy country, their very bones bearing the mark of that enemy country. How could they possibly understand him?

Fan Qi no longer wanted to waste any more words with Jiang Jinyi, nor did he ever intend to capture Jiang Jinyi alive to exchange for anything. His humiliation should have disappeared long ago. With a show of mercy, he finally answered the words he had spoken to Jiang Jinyi back then: "I probably said 'Get out, you are my greatest shame' that day. It's been too long, I've forgotten. Anyway, it was something similar."

The cold halberd mingled with the burning blood. Fan Qi wiped the blood of her own child from her face and looked up, feeling as if the sky had cleared.