Chapter 75 Extra Chapter 1: Clashing

Before being unhorsed by Jinmai, Fan Qi thought he was the most powerful general in the world.

Young people, they all think they are the most amazing person in the world.

As his blood boiled and Fan Qi prepared to die with the man, he was suddenly bound hand and foot and forced to the ground with his face pressed down.

He heard a clear, melodious female voice ring out on him: "Sister, to catch the thief, first catch the king!"

Then came a dull pain in the back of his neck, and he fell into a coma.

When Fan Qi opened his eyes again, he was being carried on horseback like cargo, and the first thing he saw was a pair of sheepskin boots. This horse was at the head of the group; it must be that female general's horse. The jolting made him feel nauseous, and Fan Qi couldn't hold it in; he slightly raised his head and vomited.

The rider must have despised him, so he seized the opportunity to steal the horse and escape. Sure enough, the man jumped off the horse, but to Ren Fanqi's utter surprise, he was dragged off the horse by the belt like a chick.

As he fell to the ground, dust splattered all over his face, leaving him utterly disheveled. He cursed, "A scholar can be killed..."

"Alas, at least she has backbone." The woman's spirited face was inches away from Fan Qi, her beautiful features silencing the rest of Fan Qi's sentence.

She took out a handkerchief from her bosom, the purpose of which was unknown, and wiped Fan Qi's entire face with the fragrance of sesame cakes.

The woman laughed, patted Fan Qi's face, and said, "Don't try anything funny. If you run away again, I'll bite you to death."

These words, which sounded like a joke, made Fan Qi blush. But he didn't know that when Jin Mai said she'd bite him to death, she really meant it.

Fortunately, Zuo Qinghou was there and stopped Jinmai, so Jinmai didn't tear off the flesh from his neck, leaving only a mark.

Fan Qi felt no fear. He covered his neck and stared intently at Zuo Qinghou. This was the first time he had seen the legendary female general since he had been captured for so many days. However, she lacked any fierceness and even the seriousness expected of a military commander.

However, seeing Jinmai tearing apart roasted snake beside her, Fan Qi understood a lot. She lowered her eyes and decided that since she couldn't escape, she would sow discord between the two. When there was internal strife, not only would the two of them be in her grasp, but the entire Sui Kingdom would be at her disposal.

Zuo Qinghou personally applied the medicine to Fan Qi. As soon as Fan Qi stepped back, Jin Mai's knife was already pressed against his neck.

Jinmai, like a protective dog, mumbled through his teeth while biting the snake, "It's because of your poisonous attitude towards the Wumen Jianjun (note your attitude towards our general)."

Fan Qi scoffed, "What a good dog."

Jinmai's sword moved forward an inch, and Zuo Qinghou said, "Although my little sister is unruly, what the general said is really inappropriate."

Fan Qi stopped resisting. Although his hands and feet were bound, he leaned back like a grandpa and teased, "If everyone were like you, General, I wouldn't need to say such things."

Zuo Qinghou, who had just been composed and calm, paused, slowly lowered his eyes, and said, "General, be careful with your words."

Fan Qi squinted at Zuo Qinghou, who looked like a wooden bodhisattva, utterly boring, yet so dignified that one wanted to pull off her mask.

On the way back to the capital, Fan Qi treated Zuo Qinghou very specially, asking her to apply medicine to his wounds and bring him meals. While being fed by Zuo Qinghou, he looked over her shoulder at Jin Mai, who was staring intently at them from afar, and gave her a provocative smile.

Jin Mai was immediately enraged, but Zuo Qinghou had shielded her the previous times, so she had learned her lesson and made a throat-slitting gesture at Fan Qi, giving him a fierce warning look.

This extremely unstable balance was broken the day before they were to enter the capital. That night, Fan Qi came out of Zuo Qinghou's tent in the middle of the night and bumped into Jin Mai, who was on night patrol.

Jinmai was a wild man before, but after being taught by Zuo Qinghou for several years, although he was still wild and difficult to tame, he understood the feelings and things between many people.

She knew what this meant, and she also knew what the subtle atmosphere between Zuo Qinghou and Fan Qi was like along the way.

Jinmai glanced at Fan Qi, then coldly pinned him to the ground and beat him mercilessly, each punch landing squarely.

"Can you take responsibility if you beat me to death?" Even with his face covered in blood, Fan Qi remained confident of victory.

Jinmai's fist didn't stop. "You're just a bargaining chip. Even if you die, I can skin you alive and still get something."

Now, Fan Qi truly understood that Jin Mai really wanted to kill him.

However, the sounds of fighting outside still attracted Zuo Qinghou. Wearing a loose coat, she shielded Fan Qi with her body and said loudly to Jin Mai, "He is willing to surrender. From today onwards, we are on the same side."

Jinmai glanced at the blood on his fist and sneered, "You think he'd give up being a general to willingly become your man?"

In one sentence, the deepest chasm between the two was laid bare.

Women who are limited to romantic love are often foolish, especially someone like Zuo Qinghou who has never experienced romantic love. A few sweet words, the taboos and challenges brought about by the huge gap between them can make her lose her mind.

Zuo Qinghou said earnestly, "We are mutually in love."

Wild animals' instincts are often incredibly accurate. Jin Mai coldly looked at Fan Qi lying in Zuo Qinghou's arms, "Is that so? All I see is wishful thinking."

Zuo Qinghou felt a chill run down her spine under Jin Mai's gaze. She had taught her manners and knowledge for so long that she had almost forgotten that Jin Mai was a murderer who had killed nearly a hundred of her elite soldiers with just two butterfly knives. Zuo Qinghou warned, "If you kill him, I will never want you again."

Jinmai looked up in shock, like a puppy that had been abandoned, tilting her head in disbelief as to why Zuo Qinghou would abandon her for a man from an enemy country.

As Jinmai left, Fan Qi revealed a very subtle smile. His plan was already half successful.

Afterwards, Fan Qi was arranged to fake his death and then enlisted in the army as a squad leader. The military merits were Jin Mai's, but most of them were attributed to Fan Qi. He did nothing, and even killed countless soldiers, yet he became a deputy general.

On the night of the investiture, Zuo Qinghou invited Jin Mai to celebrate together, mainly to ease the tension between them.

Fan Qi asked privately, "You gave me all her military merits, aren't you afraid she'll resent you?"

"She doesn't care about these things. All those military merits she earned before were given to me voluntarily." When Zuo Qinghou said this, perhaps because he had said it so many times, it sounded so natural.

Fan Qi thought to herself, "What a stupid woman. The one who raised her is not the same as me."

Unexpectedly, Jinmai didn't show any emotion throughout the entire family dinner. As if she had been guided by a master, she chatted and laughed with them, exchanging toasts.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves. Fan Qi helped Zuo Qinghou into the house to rest. When they came out to pour water, he looked at Zuo Qinghou, who was sobering up by the pond, walked over to her and said, "You've been pretending for so long."

"Yes, it must have been really hard to pretend."

The harmony that had just been maintained was instantly shattered. Both of them were talking about each other, but Jin Mai, unusually, did not make a move. She stood up, her eyes as cold as snow on the Tianshan Mountains, and quietly looked at Fan Qi. Suddenly, she chuckled and said, "I hope you can keep up the act after I leave. Just don't give yourself away."

Since that night, Jinmai has never appeared again. Without Fan Qi, the Wu army is temporarily leaderless. The sheer number of Wu troops completely overwhelms the Sui state, leaving them powerless to resist.

Fan Qi only needed to occasionally send out messages and wait for Wu Jun's great victory.

But with so many soldiers, they still couldn't win the battle.

Strangely, Wu's soldiers seemed to have contracted a leg weakness disease; they were all exhausted as soon as they entered the battlefield.

It wasn't until Fan Qi followed Zuo Qinghou and found Jin Mai recuperating in the cellar of his mansion that things became clear. It's unclear how long she had been there, but it was obvious that her injuries were severe; even though only scars remained on her skin, her internal organs had not yet healed.

Jinmai huddled under the soft blankets, half-asleep, when she noticed the unusual footsteps. She opened her eyes instantly and, upon seeing Fan Qi, gripped the dagger under the blankets tightly. However, she showed no concern for Fan Qi's arrival, behaving like an arrogant mistress before the empress. She said impatiently, "Remember to close the door when you leave, it's freezing."

Looking at the things on the table, it's amazing how well Zuo Qinghou kept this a secret for so long. Fan Qi really thought Zuo Qinghou was a good-for-nothing who was obsessed with love. She really underestimated her.

Jinmai said, "Don't you have informants? Why don't you go check and find out?"

She'd been gone for so long, was she checking on his spies? No, if she were checking on spies, she wouldn't be so badly injured. Fan Qi knew Zuo Qinghou would side with him, so he picked up Jinmai without hesitation. Just as he was about to speak, he saw her right arm swaying weakly in her wide sleeve, like a pendant.

All the deliberate malice stuck in his throat; the man who could have brought him down was now broken, like a puppet with its strings cut. What was he doing now, like a resentful woman confined to her chambers?

Fan Qi looked up at Jin Mai, unaware that her eyes were already red. "What happened to your arm?"

"Useless." The two words, spoken lightly, struck Fan Qi's heart like a heavy blow.

She freed herself from her restraints with her left hand and laughed, "Instead of wasting your time acting pitying me, why don't you go and see how your Wu Kingdom is doing?"

Torn between two conflicting anxieties, Fan Qi glanced deeply at Jin Mai before stumbling and running away.