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The night was deep, but the atmosphere inside the Xiangping military camp was lively. As everyone drank and became quite tipsy, Wang Tian, his face flushed, still had to smile and respond to the toasts offered by the surrounding soldiers. Er Niu and Chun Ning took turns, seemingly determined to get him completely drunk.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
Wang Tian waved his hand to stop him, but still couldn't stop Er Niu from handing him the wine bowl. He forced himself to calm down, tilted his head back, and gulped down another bowl, thinking: If I admit defeat, won't I be laughed at? But this alcohol is really hard to resist...
"Haha, look at his blushing face! General Wang Tian, hang in there!"
Chun Ning teased him, but he himself drank quite a bit, and for a time the aroma of wine filled the air, accompanied by laughter and chatter.
Wang Jian watched with amusement and shook his head at the wicked husband, saying, "This Wang Tian looks honest, but he has a stubborn streak and doesn't give up easily."
The wicked man had also drunk a few jars of wine, and his face was flushed. Hearing this, he chuckled and chimed in, "If he didn't have some tenacity, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish the feat of taking 100,000 heads. It's impressive that he can still compete with Erniu and the others today."
"This humble general...this humble general can come again!"
Wang Tian put down the empty bowl, stood up and shouted, "Er Niu, Chun Ning, nobody's leaving today! Anyone who runs away is a coward!"
"Alright, then I'll show you!"
Erniu slammed his hand on the table and laughed loudly, "Let's finish another jar!"
The other soldiers instantly became excited and shouted, "Good! Let's see who's the best after one jar!"
Wang Tian no longer refused, reaching out to take the jar of wine: "That's refreshing!" He gently tore open the seal, tilted his head back, and drank deeply. The pungent wine slowly trickled down his neck, shining even brighter against the campfire. Seeing the general's heroic spirit, the crowd clapped and cheered even more, pounding the table and shouting.
Just as the group was drinking heartily, a soldier nearby quietly lifted the tent flap, glanced around a few times, and then left without making a sound. His expression was somewhat unusual, but the noise was too much for anyone to notice.
"Again! Again—" Erniu's voice was hoarse, but still loud; he raised his hand to wipe the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, exhaling a strong smell of alcohol, "Wang Tian, let's see if you... can still take it?"
Wang Tian barely managed to steady himself, glanced at Erniu, and said sarcastically, "Don't look down on me... I... fought my way all the way to the Donghu's lair!" After saying that, he picked up his wine bowl again, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "Fill the bowl up again!"
"General Wang is mighty!"
The crowd responded enthusiastically, and the campfire illuminated the soldiers' smiling faces, reflecting their rare relaxation after a long period of tension.
Wang Jian looked at Wang Tian's already drunken state and sighed slightly, but did not stop him. He knew that whether it was Wang Tian or the other soldiers, they all needed a night like this to vent their fatigue and killing intent.
"General, those soldiers who died in the wars between the states should be comforted if they could see this scene."
The wicked man suddenly whispered, his gaze sweeping across the camp illuminated by lights, "We can drink freely here not because we are strong, but because they took the blows for us first."
Wang Jian remained silent for a moment, then picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, as if trying to swallow all his complex emotions.
"After pacifying Yan in a few days, we'll return to Xianyang to see His Majesty." The wicked man's tone shifted abruptly, his voice low. "By then... how many of the Seven Kingdoms will remain?"
Wang Jian put down his wine cup and gently closed his eyes: "Yes, when the world is unified, who can stop it?"
While the two were talking, the table became noisy again. Erniu insisted on pouring wine for Wang Tian, but Wang Tian shoved it back at him. The two pushed and shoved each other, and finally burst into laughter and took a big gulp.
Chun Ning was not to be outdone, and joined the various subordinates in drinking. In the blink of an eye, she drank several bowls and laughed so hard she almost fell over.
Suddenly—
Someone let out a scream, as if tripped over a chair and tumbled to the ground. Several other soldiers quickly reached out to help him up, laughing and cursing. The campfire flickered incessantly, illuminating the men lying or leaning, their tongues numb with drunkenness, yet they refused to stop.
"Enough!" The wicked man stood up, glanced at Wang Tian, who reeked of alcohol, and then looked at Wang Jian. "Let's not watch the show anymore. We'll have our fun today, but tomorrow we'll be complaining of headaches. Heh, that'll be quite a sight!"
As he spoke, he picked up a bowl of wine, raised it to Wang Tian and the others from a distance, then tilted his head back and drank it down. Afterward, he put down the bowl, gestured to Wang Jian, and strode toward the camp gate.
"Shouldn't the General take a rest?"
The wicked man turned to Wang Jian and said, "Let's sit a little longer. I also want to reminisce about the heroic spirit of my youth."
The wicked man nodded and said nothing more.
As he turned to leave, Wang Tian swayed to his feet, his eyes glazed, but he still held the wine jar: "No drinking, no going home... no... no going home!" His words were incoherent, but they drew another burst of laughter from the soldiers, who applauded and cheered for him.
On the way back home, a gentle breeze brushed my face, carrying a hint of coolness and desolation, which also dissipated some of the effects of my husband's drunkenness. I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Another year has passed..."
Just then, a series of deep but rhythmic footsteps sounded from the shadows of the street in the distance. The wicked man looked up and saw a burly man walking towards him.
The wicked man couldn't help but take a second look, feeling that the man's aura was somewhat sharp, but he didn't think much of it, assuming he was just an ordinary Yan citizen.
"Greetings, Grand Commandant!" To everyone's surprise, the man spoke first when he saw the wicked husband.
The wicked man stopped, smiled, and nodded slightly, continuing to walk forward. Suddenly, he paused, sensing a faint but palpable killing intent coming from behind him.
Turning around, he saw the man standing still, coldly staring at him. "May I ask, Grand Commandant, has your so-called peace been asked whether the people trampled by your Qin army are willing?"
"Heh... Speak up, are you one of those chivalrous swordsmen, or some so-called righteous folk?!" The wicked man curled his lips into a contemptuous, cold smile.
"Let Jing Ke go again..."
The wicked man suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you're Jing Ke? What... are you here to assassinate me today?"
Jing Ke's chest heaved. He thought he was slightly pleased that someone as powerful as the Grand Commandant of Qin had heard of him. But the next sentence and the strange tone made him realize that the wicked man didn't think much of him at all!
He slowly drew a short sword from his robes and whispered, "You wicked man, you and that Ying Zheng are cruel and tyrannical, killing so many people... Today, I will fight for the world and kill you, you butcher..."
"Stop! Assassins die from too much nonsense. Hurry up and finish... I need to go back to sleep after this!" The wicked man beckoned with a contemptuous gesture, not taking Jing Ke seriously at all.
"Die—!" Jing Ke moved his feet and rushed towards the wicked husband.
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