Chapter 44 Extra 4
"Another one coming to die!" A bandit, his eyes bloodshot with rage, swung his knife at him.
The man in the straw raincoat remained motionless until the blade was almost upon him, then suddenly dodged to the side. At the same time, his right hand shot out with lightning speed, precisely grabbing the other man's wrist and twisting it forcefully.
With a sharp "crack," accompanied by a shrill scream, the bandit's knife fell to the ground.
Almost simultaneously, the man in the straw raincoat flashed a cold light in his left hand, and a short blade pierced into the opponent's heart. The movement was clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.
The commotion attracted more enemies, and another bandit took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack from the side, his blade aimed straight at the bandit's head.
The man in the straw raincoat reacted quickly, ducking to avoid the fatal blow, but the sharp blade swiftly flicked his straw hat off.
The straw hat tumbled through the air and fell, revealing the true face of the person who had just arrived.
His black hair was wet with rain, and a few strands clung to his forehead, making his face look even more stern and his features more defined.
Those deep eyes were now burning with icy rage and chilling killing intent.
"It's... General Xie?!"
One of the Dragon Guards recognized him and exclaimed in disbelief.
Xie Zhuo ignored the gasps of surprise around him.
The moment his straw hat was knocked off, his gaze didn't waver even slightly, as if he had already expected it or simply didn't care.
His entire attention seemed to be focused on eliminating the immediate threat.
He drew his sword with a backhand motion, and the sword flashed out like a bolt of lightning.
Wherever the sword flashes, bandits fall to the ground.
His moves were devoid of any fancy techniques; they were all the most direct and effective killing methods in the military—ruthless, accurate, and fast.
Although the leader of the Dragon Guard was also highly skilled in martial arts, watching Xie Zhuo's killing spree, he felt that the two of them were not on the same level.
He swept away the remaining bandits around Ling Wei like a tiger among sheep, almost crushing them completely.
In a short while, very few enemies remained standing, all of whom were subdued by him and the Dragon Guard.
The battle has temporarily ceased.
Xie Zhuo sheathed his sword with a soft "clang".
He then turned around, his body radiating a lingering murderous aura, his gaze piercing through the astonished crowd and landing directly on Ling Wei.
Rainwater slid down his cheeks, his chest rose and fell slightly, and his eyes were filled with a complex and unreadable expression, containing lingering anger, an indescribable urgency, and something even deeper.
The guards remained tense, gripping their weapons, wondering why this general, who should have been far away in the capital, had suddenly appeared and what his intentions were.
The leader stepped forward and cautiously began, "Thank you, General..."
However, Xie Zhuo seemed not to hear him. He strode towards Ling Wei.
The guards immediately tensed up and instinctively tried to stop them.
"Step back." Ling Wei's cold voice rang out as she looked at Xie Zhuo approaching her. "It's nothing."
The guards had no choice but to make way as ordered, but remained on high alert.
Xie Zhuo walked up to Ling Wei and stopped.
The two stared at each other for a second, his eyes swirling with emotion. The next instant, he suddenly bent down and hoisted Ling Wei onto his shoulder.
"grown ups!"
"General Xie! What are you doing?!"
Amidst the shocked gazes and exclamations of everyone, Xie Zhuo ignored everything, carrying Ling Wei on his back, and strode straight to the guest room on the second floor. He kicked open the door with a "bang," went inside, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Downstairs, only a mess remained, with the Dragon Feather Guards looking at each other in bewilderment and the restless crowd still in shock.
Oh, there's one more person.
At this moment, another follower raised his hand and took off his straw hat, revealing his face—it was Mo Feng.
Xiao Yao recognized the familiar face at a glance and rushed to him anxiously, asking repeatedly, "Mo Feng! What exactly is your general doing?!"
Mo Feng remained expressionless: "..."
That's a good question; he wants to know too.
His son has been acting strangely for the past two years.
It's not entirely incomprehensible.
When things went wrong, although the old Duke Xie said, "The victor is king, the loser is villain, just admit defeat," he was truly furious when he returned to the ancestral hall and closed the door, and almost beat the young master to death.
The young master remained silent and accepted it all.
At that time, the old Duke Xie beat himself until tears streamed down his face, heartbroken and indignant: "I have taught you since you were a child that you must put the family first in everything and never let outsiders sway your mind... But look at this!"
You're not even as good as a little girl! They all know that power lasts a thousand generations, and it never dies…
No amount of persuasion could change anything at the time.
The young master's parents were also kneeling in the ancestral hall. Just as Master Xie was about to say something, Old Duke Xie lashed out with his whip.
"I'll beat you to death, you good-for-nothing!"
This kid got his brain just like you!
Old Master Xie, who had previously fallen out with his family over a concubine and had long been abandoned, was speechless.
Well, so whatever's bad, just blame it on him.
But Xie Zhuo was his only son, so he forced himself to say a few words of advice, only to be whipped and scream in pain. In the end, he couldn't take it anymore and had to be carried away.
Madam Xie was left speechless.
Useless man!
But no matter what, she had to protect Xie Zhuo.
Old Duke Xie held the whip, his hand trembling—what to do? This was someone else's daughter; he couldn't really hit her.
In the end, the old Duke had no choice but to lock Xie Zhuo in the ancestral hall and strictly forbid anyone from visiting him.
The young master remained silent throughout.
That night, he developed a high fever.
When Mo Feng secretly delivered the medicine, he found the young master, who had never cried no matter how difficult things were, curled up in a corner, his body burning hot.
There were still faint tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
“Weiwei…” he heard the young master murmur.
Originally, he was supposed to be confined for many days, but on the second day, Duke Xie went out.
Upon returning, he surprisingly ordered the release of the young master from confinement.
He sat silently by Xie Zhuo's bedside for a long time.
When Xie Zhuo woke up, he saw his grandfather's aged figure sitting by the bed, looking at him with worry.
"In the end... you are the future hope of the Xie family."
At this point, Duke Xie stopped pursuing the matter, but Xie Zhuo seemed to have completely changed.
He became taciturn, spending his days either attending court or relentlessly training himself, seemingly tireless.
Mo Feng had gradually gotten used to the young master's appearance until a little over a month ago, when the young master returned from court with a frighteningly gloomy face and a low pressure that kept strangers at bay.
He stood alone in the courtyard for a long time, but in the end he said nothing.
Xie Zhuo is now twenty-two years old. Back then, the Xie family's power was in decline, and in the past two years, there have been far fewer people who openly or secretly intend to arrange marriages with him, all fearing that the Empress would settle scores with them later.
Two years later, Xie Zhuo's official position was promoted instead of demoted. People with discerning eyes gradually sensed something different, and more and more people began to offer their goodwill and arrange marriages.
Among them, Princess Yongjia was the most devoted to him.
Xie Zhuo did not refuse.
Although the two families have not yet formally engaged, Mo Feng believes that the young master will probably follow the old Duke's arrangements, marry, have children, and live a stable life.
But one day, the prince was summoned to the palace after court.
After returning, he sat alone on the stone bench in the courtyard for a long time, then suddenly asked:
Do I look... really that easy to fool?
A seemingly random remark left Mo Feng speechless.
Fortunately, Xie Zhuo didn't really want an answer.
That night, Xie Zhuo took a pot of wine and drank himself into a stupor.
He initially sneered and muttered, "Good riddance... saves me from seeing him all the time."
But as he finished drinking, he closed his eyes, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "If she wants..."
"Why not let her off one more time?"
The next day, after sobering up, Xie Zhuo didn't mention a word about the previous night.
However, he seemed to be in a much better mood, and sometimes he would hold a book about the customs and local conditions of the border region and read it, as if he was waiting for something.
Unfortunately, nothing came of it.
The young master's face grew darker and darker each day, and he gritted his teeth more and more each day.
Until one time, during a gathering with colleagues, someone unaware of his past with Ling Wei began to discuss Ling Wei's upcoming trip to the border, even whispering mysteriously, "I heard that some people harbor a great deal of resentment towards that Lord Ling..."
"To achieve great things on the frontier... that's going to be difficult!"
Then, with a crash, the wine glass in Xie Zhuo's hand shattered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com