Chapter 297 Li Su's Side Story: All About Raising Pigeons (Part Two)

Because of the Jingkang Incident, Li Jin, who was not yet twenty years old, went from being an ordinary third prince to the highly sought-after Prince Jing.

As a result, I became one of his most capable assistants.

"I truly didn't expect you to have such an ability to disrupt the enemy army." Li Jin held a cup of cold tea, a half-smile on his face, deliberately poking at my sore spot.

"You're good at swordsmanship. In a few years, you'll be able to win." He seemed to see through my helplessness and even comforted me.

For some reason, I saw a resemblance to my father in him.

Their level of making grand promises and indulging in wishful thinking is about equal.

In that instant, I vaguely realized that my father was different from ordinary people.

He's usually quite unreliable, but recently I heard that raising pigeons is no longer enough for him; he's now researching how to train eagles.

The things he did were nothing like those of a proper prince.

He looks exactly like the Prince Jing in front of him.

I have never seen him study military strategy, nor have I ever seen him practice martial arts or swordsmanship, let alone discuss matters of national importance.

His daily life was even more aged than my father's. He would stare intently at a game of chess, racking his brains, playing chess against himself, just like an old man from Fangzikou in Beijing, who was only missing a banana leaf fan in his hand.

When I teased him about this, he actually looked at me, thought about it seriously for a moment, and said, "You're absolutely right."

Thus, Prince Jing, who rode his horse across the battlefield, now carried a specially made black fan at his waist.

What's worse, after that, I realized the gap between reality and expectations.

I can't even beat a guy who's holding a fan, playing chess, and dealing with my swordsmanship at the same time!

Seeing my dejected expression, he changed the subject: "Take a look at this for me." He said, "The Crown Prince's chess game has remained unsolved for many years."

I was filled with grief and indignation, and solemnly said, "Your Highness, let me tell you a scary story."

He looked at me in surprise and spoke before I could: "Lord Bai is overthinking it. Only your own flesh and blood would have this opportunity to send you here for training."

I pursed my lips, overwhelmed with grief, unable to speak.

He didn't know that my father didn't send me here for training; my father sent me here to defeat him.

He, the third prince of the Great Wei, a war god of his time, a ruthless man who could achieve great deeds simply by riding his horse and charging head-on into the enemy's camp.

This isn't training; this is being kicked out of the house...

After that, as I spent more and more time by Li Jin's side, and as the war gradually developed in a favorable direction...

I also have more time to think about my father's true intentions in sending me here.

Before, when I was at home, I saw that the backyard was full of pigeons, coming and going every day, and I didn't find it strange.

The longer you stay at the border, the more likely you are to see carrier pigeons arriving precisely on the first and fifteenth of each month.

I recognize those pigeons; they are the ones I raised myself, the ones that ate the grain from my palm—my father's pigeons.

My father's saying, "A cage of pigeons knows the world, and fears not a thousand armies," has finally become clear to me with each sunrise and sunset.

The more you understand, the cooler the martial arts world seems.

That summer, a major event occurred that further solidified my belief.

Amidst the constant power struggles and intrigues at court, Crown Prince Li Mu, who had never been the subject of any scandals, suddenly became a traitor.

At that time, the Xiongnu invaded, and the two armies were locked in a stalemate, with a major battle about to break out.

Li Jin is in a dilemma.

For many years, I hadn't summoned the pigeons at home. Only that one time, I wrote a secret letter inquiring about their whereabouts and sent it back to the capital.

What they received, however, was news of the Cen family's massacre and Li Mu's imprisonment.

I dared not delay, and informed Li Jin before the urgent message arrived.

He paused for a moment, then without thinking, grabbed a black cloak, handed over command to me and Zhou Zheng, and rushed back to the capital that very night.

That time, the Xiongnu acted strangely; they didn't fight, but only made noise.

We were deadlocked for half a month. When Li Jin returned, the Xiongnu seemed to have received some secret order and withdrew their troops.

Upon returning from the capital, he seemed to have suffered a severe blow. He sat alone in his room, staring at the chessboard in front of him, remaining motionless for an entire day.

He wouldn't eat or drink, as if he had lost his soul.

After that, as if he had suddenly made a decision, he was filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit.

Even though the Xiongnu retreated, he led his troops in pursuit, decimating the Xiongnu's elite forces.

After that, the Xiongnu, who sought help from Southern Chu, never imagined that the Black Flag Army would use this as a pretext to directly destroy the Southern Chu state.

After that, the border was peaceful, and no one dared to invade.

He called us over and said calmly, "I am returning to the capital. If you do not wish to follow me, you may stay. There is no need to force you."

I was taken aback for a moment: "Your Highness, our Black Flag Army is not allowed to return to the capital without a summons!"

But he smiled faintly and nodded: "Except for returning military power."

I didn't go with him, but I resigned from my important military post and went home.

At that time, I couldn't understand it.

I don't understand why he would take this step. What happened to his promise to achieve great things and return home in glory?

I don't understand what he's afraid of. He clearly has such great strength, so great that even I admire him from the bottom of my heart, so why doesn't he dare to raise his protest directly?

The imperial court is too chaotic, and being caught up in it is too exhausting.

I want to go to the martial world. The martial world is the best. It's far from conflict, and you can rely solely on your strength.

Go!

To be honest, when my dad said those words, I no longer felt happy; I just felt there was something fishy about them.

He shook his head: "With the court in such a state, even if you inherit the entire hounds, you won't have anyone to serve you. You might as well go out and try your luck."

"Don't you have any requests?" I still didn't quite believe it.

But I regretted it as soon as I asked.

Before me, my father, who looked much older and whose face was lined with wrinkles, clearly seemed to have just been given a pointer, and replied decisively, "Yes!"

Then, in my grief and indignation, as I beat my chest and stamped my feet, regretting that I shouldn't have asked, I pondered on the spot what demands I should make.

“Here’s what I’ll give you: six years,” he said. “If you’re still not making a name for yourself in the martial world by the time you turn eighteen, then you should come back and get married.”

"It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. Once it's born, you'll be free. This pigeon will be a gift for your grandson!"

I did the math: I'll achieve fame and success in the military in less than two years, and six years in the martial arts world will obviously not be a problem.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he declared, "It's a deal!"

Logically, I should have reached the pinnacle of my career, realized my dreams, and forged a legend.

As a result, on the day he left the capital, Li Jin, who had become a leisurely prince and was thrown into the Six Doors to become the head of the gate, stood outside the city gate, alone under the swirling snow, staring blankly.

I couldn't bear it, so I dismounted, took off my fox fur coat, and draped it over his shoulders.

In the instant the man turned his head, I read deep confusion and despair in his eyes.

"Bai Yu, I need you."

Without any preamble, he just blurted out those words.

But it's so magical; these words, like warm water, flowed into the softest part of my heart.

"I need you."

Seeing my stunned expression, he repeated it again in that same gentle way.

His appearance was so pitiful and miserable, as if he had been replaced by a different soul from the war god who once galloped across the battlefield, laughing as he charged in and out of the enemy camp three times.

A sudden surge of anger welled up within me, and I nodded as if possessed.

"I am willing to serve Your Highness with utmost loyalty!" I knelt on the ground, gazing at that face. "From now on, Your Highness's wish is Bai Yu's wish."

But the next day, after I obtained the Shadow Jade Pendant from the Six Doors, Zhou Zheng looked at me with admiration.

"I thought you would not disappoint the prince, but I never expected you to be so loyal."

I paused.

He said, "I signed the life-or-death contract without even blinking."

Zhou Zheng cupped his hands and bowed deeply: "Lord Bai is truly admirable."

I was stunned and hurriedly went to find Li Jin.

He was holding a letter when he came out of the sect leader's courtyard: "You've come at the right time."

“A few days ago, I met a man from the martial arts world who called himself a hawk and a hound, and said he was willing to serve me.” He smiled, his eyes shining brightly. “He said he wanted the best light-footed person from the Six Doors to be his shadow.”

Li Jin stuffed the envelope into my hand.

"You have the best lightness skill here. It just so happens that you also have a dream of the martial arts world. Choose a courtyard and I will go and buy you some pigeons right now."

I looked at the letter in my hand, feeling like crying but unable to shed a tear.

“Your Highness…” I choked out, “I’ll tell you a scary story.”