Chapter 272
Book 24 Chapter 07 - Qixia Sword Meet
After Lan Gongyuan departed, Feng Fei interrogated with disdain: "I heard she sleeps around. Is Great General interested in this kind of women?"
Xiang Shaolong is walking her back to the main building. Taking in her words, he retorted: "Since when did I express any interest in her? How is Shuzen doing?"
Feng Fei proudly proclaimed: "With Feng Fei personally instructing her, how bad can she turn out? Don’t change the topic. How did you get involved with her?"
Xiang Shaolong bitterly smiled: "Can you not use the words: get involved? It is so demeaning! Little Brother and her are just platonic friends. She said she wanted to visit you and ask for your forgiveness; can I say no to that? Look at yourself. Earlier, you are so sweet and accommodating towards her, as if she is your own sister. The minute she left, you began criticizing her and portraying her as somebody without any good attributes."
Covering her mouth as she giggled, Feng Fei warned: "This is how a jealous woman looks like. Since you chose to ignore me, I would not allow you to pay any attention to other women. Otherwise, you’ll get it from me.
By now they have arrived at the stairs of the main building. Xiang Shaolong was about to leave when Feng Fei held onto his sleeve and dragged him into the building. Turning around, she threw herself into his arms, whispering: "Is Great General thinking of leaving Feng Fei behind and leaving by himself?"
Although Xiang Shaolong is embracing a fragrant and enticing body, his mind is br.i.m.m.i.n.g with bitterness. He did planned to make use of the s...o...b..ard and slip away first while getting someone to take care of Feng Fei and the others. Unexpectedly, this peerless beauty with her matching intelligence has exposed his secret. He could not bear to lie to her but feared her overreaction should he chose to confess the truth. What should he do?
Raising her exquisite face, Feng Fei pitifully squirmed: "You need not reply. Your expression has given me the heartrending answer."
Xiang Shaolong sighed with a breath: "Do you know that as long as I am alive, no one would dare to lay a finger on you."
Feng Fei quizzed: "Didn’t you mention that Zongsun Long will protect us?"
Xiang Shaolong explained: "The problem lies with your ex lover and his close relations.h.i.+p with the Zongsun Family. I just received news that due to Han Jie’s facilitation, Lu Buwei and Zongsun Long had a two-hour secret discussion. What do you think they are planning to do?"
Momentarily stunned, Feng Fei melancholically replied: "Since this is the case, why are you still abandoning me?"
Hit by a brainwave, Xiang Shaolong mused: "Why don’t you leave one day before me. I will meet up with you after that. Lord Longyang should be able to make the necessary preparations."
Hugging him with all her strength, Feng Fei grieved: "Before knowing the result of the duel, how can Feng Fei leave Lin Zi? Fine! Do whatever you want with me. Feng Fei will leave my fate in your hands."
Xiang Shaolong can fully comprehend her helpless feelings of being alone and deserted. Based on her beauty and talent, all the men in the world would be won over by her. Maybe Heaven is jealous of her accomplishments, letting her fall in love with a scoundrel and crossing paths with himself who is unwilling to fall in love with her, eventually breaking her heart into pieces.
Comforting her to the best of his abilities, Xiang Shaolong finally left for his own room after Feng Fei has recomposed herself. He had barely rested when Zongsun Xuanhua came to look for him.
Seating themselves in the Eastern Chamber, Zongsun Xuanhua started: "Does Great General know that Lu Buwei paid us a visit?"
Xiang Shaolong deduced that he has held a discussion with his father and advisors, deciding that Lu Buwei cannot be trusted and is trying to salvage the situation with him. He naturally would not bring Guo Kai, Li Yuan or the others into the picture.
Xiang Shaolong smiled: "Even if I did not see it personally, I could easily imagine it. What other new tricks can Lu Buwei come up with? Moreover, Han Jie is your martial brother. Oh yes! What is the relations.h.i.+p between the two of you?"
Faced with Xiang Shaolong’s abrupt interrogation about his Achilles’ heel, Zongsun Xuanhua freaked out on the spot. He stammered: "Our relations.h.i.+p is not clearly defined but we are definitely acquainted."
Xiang Shaolong openly declared: "Compared to Lu Buwei, Han Jie should be more eager to kill me. This is because Lu Buwei a.s.sumes that he has a trump card that would cause my complete downfall. Han Jie should be insanely jealous of me and an insane man would act without thinking twice about the consequences."
Zongsun Xuanhua is no fool and he already guessed that Feng Fei’s lover is Han Jie; otherwise, why would he be so familiar with Feng Fei’s activities? His face losing colour, he lowered his head to conceal it. As he stared at the floor, he probed with a deep voice: "Has Great General decided on your departure date?"
Xiang Shaolong is highly amused, knowing that through his intricate scheming, he has caused both father and son to lose their bearings. He somberly remarked: "After careful consideration, I would officially bid farewell to your Great King and Second Prince. At the same time, I would request for soldiers to protect me and openly parade back to Qin. It is way better than sneaking around and becoming a lightning rod for rumours."
Zongsun Xuanhua nodded: "Xuanhua fully agrees. Great General can seek Official Xie’s a.s.sistance in relaying the message. I guarantee that everything will be well-arranged."
With these sentences, Xiang Shaolong knows that Zongsun Long father and son would not dare to partic.i.p.ate in any more anti-Xiang Shaolong schemes after weighing the pros and cons.
If Xiang Shaolong is sent home by Qi’s official escort, both Li Yuan’s team and Lu Buwei’s team would lack the grounds to instigate Zongsun Long father and son to a.s.sa.s.sinate him.
Nevertheless, this is not an ideal outcome. The King of Qi cannot afford to dispatch an army to escort him. Moreover, there may be spies within the escort team. With these unknown factors, it would be a miracle if he can travel safely through Chu and the Three States.
The Qi escorts would not serve him wholeheartedly. If they run into trouble, they would scatter like mice.
But in Feng Fei’s case, this would be an excellent arrangement. He made a mental note to approach Tian Jian about this. Hopefully, this would relieve him of this pressing issue.
Zongsun Xuanhua frowned: "Min Tingzhang came to see me earlier, saying that Great General has agreed to partic.i.p.ate in the Sword Meet tomorrow. I have been doing my best to reject these meaningless appointments. Why did Great General give him your consent?"
Xiang Shaolong refuted: "I did not give him my consent. I only gave a perfunctory reply, saying that I will think about it!"
Zongsun Xuanhua was incensed: "This fellow is getting out of hand and even dared to overstep his boundaries. I must teach him a lesson."
Xiang Shaolong a.s.sured: "Relax! There is no reason for me to go too."
Zongsun Xuanhua swore: "Actually, there is no harm going. Whoever dares to cross Great General’s path would have to deal with me first. Xuanhua will warn all those frog-in-the-well fellows that whoever is upset with Great General, it is as good as being upset with me, Zongsun Xuanhua."
Xiang Shaolong knows that he is trying to make up for his earlier mistake by flattering himself. He casually dismissed: "Let’s see what happens tomorrow!"
Zongsun Xuanhua suggested: "Tonight…"
Xiang Shaolong interrupted him: "It is not appropriate for me to indulge in night activities. Otherwise, I would lack the vitality to deal with Grandmaster Cao’s saintly sword."
Zongsun Xuanhua can detect that Xiang Shaolong is no longer as friendly and trusting as before, recognizing that Lu Buwei’s issue has cast a shadow over their relations.h.i.+p. Stuck without a choice, he left dejectedly.
After carefully studying his options, Xiang Shaolong sent a messenger to invite Xie Ziyuan over. He went straight to the point: "Little Brother has something that requires Brother Xie’s a.s.sistance."
Xie Ziyuan was overjoyed: "You can count on me. Brother Xiang can speak without reservations."
Xiang Shaolong honestly explained the whole scenario, as he is concerned that any misunderstandings would result in unnecessary troubles. The only thing he held back was Zongsun Long father and son ganging up with Li Yuan and company. He only hinted that the people of Chu and the Three States are not reliable, for they are secretly planning to increase the hostility between Qin and Qi.
Exhaling a breath of cold air at the end of his lecture, Xie Ziyuan