Chapter 123: The Fist of a Jealous Husband

  "Really? You're actually here?"

  Dongfang Qingxuan's first reaction was to be stunned.

  He had known Zhao Zilu since he was a child, but from childhood to adulthood, he had seen all kinds of Zhao Zilus, most of the time being calm, serious, rigid and indifferent. Although he didn't get close to people easily, he rarely got angry, let alone cursed like this now.

  Staring at Zhao Zhu's forehead with bulging veins, Dongfang Qingxuan wore a bright red robe and fell to the ground, his back hitting the stone pavement with a dull thud. His knee hit a rock and throbbed with pain, like a sharp needle piercing his heart. The back of his jade-like hand immediately started bleeding. His face also looked terrible, and after wiping away the blood from his mouth, he rushed forward without courtesy.

  "You crazy guy! Want to fight? Bring it on!"

  "It's you who is wrong!"

  "Come on, who's afraid of whom?"

  What does it look like when two handsome big men fight? The scene is really too beautiful, and ordinary language can't describe it. It's not a armed fight, nor a sword fight, but a real wrestling match. Just like the fire that had been suppressed for a long time finally found its breaking point, the two of them came and went, making a loud noise, so that the soldiers who came to find the source of the sound looked with wide eyes, and each shouted loudly.

  "Your Highness..."

  "Grand Commander."

  No one knows why they fought.

  No one understood why Zhao Zhu, who had always been calm and self-assured, would call Dongfang Qingxuan to this place the moment he entered the camp, and then start fighting without saying a word. Amidst the crowd's cries of surprise, Zhao Zhu didn't lift his head, and with another hook punch aimed at Dongfang Qingxuan's face, his voice was even colder.

  "This is a personal vendetta, you don't need to intervene."

  There must be some private grudge between them, unknown to others.

  For a moment, the crowd of soldiers could only stand by silently and watch as the two exchanged blows. One wore black armor, the other a red robe; one's face was icy calm, the other's wore a smile. They fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand, each blow landing with precision and force. Who would have thought that the dignified Prince of Jin and the esteemed Grand Marshal of the East could be reduced to this?

  The scene looked like two children fighting for a piece of candy, letting go of their hands and feet just to grab the "candy" from each other's hands. Of course, the surrounding soldiers didn't know what "that candy" was, they could only stare with wide eyes, wishing they could blind themselves.

  Neither of them had fancy moves, but their fighting speed was extremely fast.

  What state will a man's powerful martial arts explode in when he is angry?

  All I can say is that the power was truly astonishing.

  Just as Dongfang Qingxuan dodged to the side, Zhao Zhuo unexpectedly grabbed his shoulder, not giving him any time to counterattack, and lifted his knee to strike his lower abdomen without hesitation.

  This move is really spicy.

  A burst of gasps and muffled laughter came from the sidelines.

  It's clear that Zhao Zhu's goal wasn't just this. Dongfang Qingxuan smiled slyly and dodged lightly, only to find himself caught off guard. He protected his lower body, but it was no longer stable during the brief moment of evasion. Taking advantage of his incomplete movement, Zhao Zhu suddenly grabbed his shoulder with lightning speed and flung him out fiercely.

  Eastern Qingxuan was caught off guard, and the whole person was like a kite with a broken string, heavily falling to the ground amidst the painful "thud" sound. The bright red robe drew a beautiful arc in the sunlight.

  Actions unfold like clouds and flowing water, situations arise in the blink of an eye.

  Someone on the scene took another cold breath, "Oh no..."

  Someone muttered in a low voice, "Let's hope no one gets killed."

  Is anyone there? The atmosphere is also afraid to come out, "It's too scary, what's going on?"

  Everyone thought the "battle" was over, but Zhao Zun didn't give Dongfang Qingxuan any chance to catch his breath. He kicked off with his toes and pounced forward, his elbow pressed tightly against his neck, like a wolf that had charged into a flock of sheep, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light. He pulled him tight, pressed down, and jerked him up, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade.

  "You're really asking for it, Dongfang Qingyun."

  "Your Highness's kung fu has improved significantly..." Dongfang Qingxuan still managed to smile.

  "How can you be so sloppy?" Zhao Zun sneered, coldly smiling, "But you still have something to hold back?"

  "Haha, cough!" Dongfang Qingxuan's lungs couldn't catch his breath, and he chuckled while coughing, his breathing not smooth. But in an instant, he narrowed his phoenix eyes, with a hint of meaning, and said a lot of words, "Your Highness' martial arts have improved, that's a good thing, but as you just demonstrated, you know better than anyone that the world's martial arts are only invincible if they're fast. Now you're guarding Kaiping without attacking, not only is that indulging the Northern Di, it's also treason against the emperor. Qingxuan is the supervisor of the army, loyal to Your Majesty on one hand, and on the other hand, isn't he also helping you? So as not to let you become a laughingstock..."

  Zhao Zun stared at him coldly and didn't say a word.

  Dongfang Qingyun smiled again and explained to him, "Now that your woman is gone, aren't you going to start a war?"

  Zhao Zhu glared with his eyes, as if he wanted to draw out a knife.

  "What's on your mind, Dongfang Qingyun?"

  "What's a woman's life worth when it comes to the fate of the empire?"

  "Damn it, you son of a bitch, putting a woman in harm's way!"

  "Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. Anyway, she's not my woman." Dongfang Qing's face was calm and serene, his tone nonchalant, but when he spoke these words, a hint of complex and mysterious light flickered in the depths of his eyes, only to vanish in an instant, leaving no trace behind.

  Zhao Zhu pressed down on Dongfang Qingxuan's neck, controlling his shoulders, and a fist heavily smashed into his nose. Fresh blood suddenly flew out, staining his helmet and also dyeing his bright red flying fish robe. Dongfang Qingxuan coughed incessantly, while Zhao Zhu gritted his teeth.

  "She wants to have three inches of land, I want all the people in your Dongfang family to be buried with her."

  Dongfang Qingxuan was beaten up today, but his eyes still held a smile, a warm and complex smile that made people puzzled. His gentle and charming eyes looked like they could overflow with water, after catching his breath, he smiled again and asked another question.

  "Also includes Amur."

  "Your entire family."

  His eyes darkened slightly, but instead of getting angry, the Grand Commander of the Eastern Region actually chuckled softly.

  "Your Highness, King of Jin, you really don't understand women."

  Zhao Zhu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at him coldly without speaking.

  "No, it's just that I don't understand your woman."

  Dongfang Qingyun added another sentence, which made Zhao Zhuo's face turn cold with anger. He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl, throwing another punch at Dongfang Qingyun's face. Dongfang Qingyun barely dodged the attack, but the fist still grazed his ear, striking the ground with a loud thud that left his ears ringing. It wasn't until today that he realized Zhao Zhuo had been holding back his true strength all along, including their previous duel by the riverbank where he hadn't used his full power. Today, Zhao Zhuo was truly angry, and this revealed just how deep his abilities went. At the same time, Dongfang Qingyun understood why Chen Jing was willing to submit to him. For a martial artist, strength is everything, and Chen Jing's submission could only mean that Zhao Zhuo surpassed him by more than one level.

  "Your Highness, King of Jin."

  Dongfang Qingxuan took a deep breath and let out a sigh, suppressing the pain, ignoring his anger, and smiling softly. "She's not an ordinary woman. If you keep her confined in a grand mansion, can she truly be happy? That's not the life she likes. She wants to make you think she's a useful person, wants you to look at her with new eyes, wants to prove her worth in front of you, and wants to lend you a helping hand. Most importantly, she wants to be equal to you, that's her dream."

  Zhao Zun was slightly stunned, motionless, staring at the purplish-green complexion on Dongfang Qingxuan's face.

  "That's between her and me, none of your business."

  Dongfang Qingxuan smiled again, her curved eyes were really good-looking. "Tianlu, I didn't expect that one day, I would see a jealous look on your face."

  "Am I jealous of you?"

  "You're jealous of me because I hit the nail on the head, because I understand her better than you do, and I know how to make her dreams come true. Equality! She wants equality, but you've never given it to her, only controlling her, keeping her in your arms, making her a mediocre little woman."

  Zhao's iron-green face was a kaleidoscope of colors, with various emotions changing in an instant. Slowly, he opened the collar of his Eastern Qingxuan armor, stood up, and his armor glowed with golden light. After a moment of silence, he shouted coldly at the crowd watching from outside.

  "All troops assemble, await orders, and prepare to depart!"

  Watching Zhao Zun's back as he walked away, Dongfang Qingxuan let out a hiss, touched his mouth corner in pain, spat out a mouthful of blood, and slowly got up, smiling brightly.

  "How ruthless!"

  As the supervisor of the Northern Expedition Army, Dongfang Qingyun has the power to attend the highest military meeting.

  However, in the imperial court, especially in the military, he was not a likable person. It can be said that among the generals in the central army tent, there wasn't a single one who liked him. But Da Yuandu, who had committed many evil deeds, was actually the most amiable person. No matter where he went, his presence was imposing and his aura was grand, but on his lips, there was always that gentle smile like a spring breeze.

  Everyone dislikes him, but can't ignore him.

  He came with the sacred decree of Hong Taiji, having the power to supervise military strategies and raise questions or approve rewards and punishments. In fact, everyone understood that he was a sword controlled by the old emperor to command the Northern Expeditionary Army, and also a sword hanging over Zhao Yun's head.

  "I think we can let Khasar withdraw his troops without firing a shot."

  After Zhao Zilong announced his decision to cross the river and send troops, Dongfang Qingxuan turned her head to look at Zhao Zilong and said with a smile.

  "Reason."

  Zhao You's cold counter-question was accompanied by no extra expression on his face.

  The attitudes of the two people were very ambiguous, and after just having a fight, everyone thought that these two people would become sworn enemies, pointing their spears at each other. But no one expected that once they sat down in the tent, both of them simultaneously put on a "mask", transforming back into the noble and cold Prince of Jin and the beautiful and proud Eastern Grand Commander.

  "The main force of the Hazer is stationed at Danning, located at Xifeng Mountain Pass, where the road connects the south and north. The Lulong Pass is even more built on a mountain, with an entire defense system that is watertight, it can be said to have grasped the throat of the enemy's attack. If we were to clash head-on with them, it would clearly be unwise."

  The Eastern Blue Mystic understood the battlefield situation so well that the other generals couldn't help but glance at him sideways. However, Zhao Zun didn't show even a hint of surprise, and instead looked straight at him, saying calmly, "According to what you said, General, what should we do next?"

  Dongfang Qingxuan's lips curled up slightly, "I have an ace in the hole, Hasar will definitely be wary of it."

  Zhao Zun hummed coldly, "Hasar's sister?"

  The Eastern Blue Mysterious Eyes had a hint of doubt, but looking at him, the corners of his mouth still hooked up slightly.

  "It's settled then, with her here, not only will Hassan leave Xifeng Mountain Pass, but also ensure her safety."

  The second "her" in his mouth refers to who, the people around don't know, but Zhao Zun is clear. However, sitting on the main account's seat of honor, he looked at Dongfang Qingxuan and refused such a proposal, only saying lightly, "The Grand Commander doesn't know. This king has been fighting wars, never using this kind of despicable trick. Using a woman as bait, winning is not military prowess."

  He didn't expect him to say that, and Dongfang Qingxuan was slightly stunned.

  "I have always emphasized results, not boasting of a hero's bravery."

  Zhao You ignored him, his concern for Xia Chuqi not showing on his face. His dark eyes scanned the bowed heads of the generals before him, and he said in a cold voice, "Generals, everyone has seen the current situation. Danning is in the hands of Haxial, and Haxial is stationed at Lulong Pass. Although there are natural barriers to rely on, our side has just won a victory, and morale is high. Moreover, we have abundant food and grass, and we will surely win this battle."

  He paused at this point, seemingly to explain why he didn't fight earlier. The corner of his mouth coldly curled up as he looked towards Dongfang Qingyun with a smile that wasn't quite a smile: "Earlier, Your Majesty's concerns will no longer be an issue now that the Grand Marshal is here."

  As soon as they heard that a battle was about to begin, all the generals had been holding their breath for several days and were very excited.

  "Hit! Hit now."

  "Damn it, I've been wanting to get rid of them for a long time."

  "Your Highness, give the order quickly."

  Looking at the sand table in front of him, Zhao Zun slowly stood up. "For now, it's better to be early than late. Immediately assemble the troops and cross the Luan River at sunset tonight to launch a strong attack on Danning. The two ghosts will lead the vanguard camp to cross the river at 4 pm, disrupting the flank of the five guards in Xingzhou. Da Niu, you lead the troops to insert directly into Longhua, then turn back to cut off the rear route and grain supply of Hasar. I will personally lead the troops to rush towards Lulong Pass..."

  "What about me?" Yuanshuo had been listening for half a day and still hadn't received any task assignments, so he grew impatient.

  Zhuo Yu slowly looked at him, "General You stay in the Kaiping camp to make reinforcements and also prevent our army from losing its foundation."

  "Ah!" Yu Xiao Gongzi's eyes widened in shock.

  "I don't want to stay behind."

  He shouted very loudly, but military orders are like mountains. In front of Zhao Zhuo, even the most urgent eyes were useless. When he walked out of the main tent with his head down and dejected, Zhao Zhuo went over and patted him on the shoulder, whispering a sentence in a low voice.

  "Shao Hong, what I'm entrusting you with is the most important task."

  Yuanyou slanted her Danfeng eyes, full of grievances, "What's the meaning of this?"

  Zhao You lowered his voice, "The Northern Di princess who brought Dongfang Qingxuan back is a good one. Once Ah Qi crosses the Luan River, if anything unexpected happens... she will be Ah Qi's life insurance."

  Although he had previously despised Dongfang Qingyun and beaten him severely, he knew that Dongfang Qingyun was a man who did things with restraint. He should have thought it through when Xia Chunqiu crossed the river on the seventh day of July, holding Wu Ren as a hostage. Even if Xia Chunqiu was exposed, Hasa wouldn't dare to do anything to her.

  He doesn't like this move.

  If it were for Qi, he wouldn't mind taking this step even if it's his last resort.

  ……

  ……

  After crossing the Hun River, it is still very far to reach the main force of Hasar in the garrison camp of Lulong.

  After three days of arduous journey, Xia Qi led a few people to arrive at Banbi Mountain. This is the narrowest part of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, an ancient strategic location that has been contested by military forces, and a famous throat-like pass.

  From here to the main camp of the Hazzar army is only about fifty miles away.

  She had few followers, except for the old Meng and Hei Pi who had to follow her, as well as two Jin Yiwei given by Dongfang Qingxuan, one was a master of Mongolian language named Ruhao, and the other was said to be an undercover agent of Dongfang Qingxuan, named Lagula.

  As soon as I heard the name Lagula, it seemed like a Mongolian person, and Xia Chuyi was slightly strange. But thinking about Dongfang Qingxuan's sister being called Amur, it made sense. The current situation is very complicated, not all grassland tribes are Northern Di people, some Mongolian tribes still surrendered to Dayan, they should be one of them.

  In addition to this, she also brought along Uren's personal maid, Anarai.

  Of course, with Wurin as a hostage, Anaji, who grew up with Princess Wurin since childhood, wouldn't dare to say anything out of line except for obeying her orders. Besides, Dongfang Qingxuan is quite skilled at intimidating people; even Xia Chiyi was scared by him back then, let alone Anaji?

  After a few people walked for a while, a Beidi army outpost appeared in front of them.

  They came all the way from Luan River, and it was all occupied by the Northern Di. It wasn't strange to have checkpoints on the road, let alone on this strategic pass? Xia Chuyi pursed her lips and looked at Rufeng, whispering a low command.

  "Tell Anaji, Urungü Princess has returned and is now going to meet with the Crown Prince at Lülong Pass."

  "Yes."

  Like the wind and Lao Meng, several people dressed up as Mongolians. Lao Meng and others didn't understand Mongolian, but Like the Wind spoke fluently, he told Anarjy according to Xia Chuyi's request, and also warned him with one more sentence.

  "The means of Jin Yiwei are surely clear to you; if you don't want your princess to meet with trouble, then don't play tricks."

  Along the way, they had already encountered more than one checkpoint and patrol soldiers. Anadai had always been obedient, but Rufeng warned her every time they arrived at a place to prevent accidents. The little girl listened, turned pale, nodded, and kept saying she didn't dare.

  "What's going on?"

  The sentinel saw them coming and asked in a low voice.

  Anaji's heart was racing violently, she swallowed her saliva and stiffly stepped forward to say in Mongolian, "Big brother, I am Anaji, the maid of Princess Wuren. A few days ago, the princess secretly went to play in Nanyan, but unfortunately got captured by the Yan army on her way back. Luckily, we were rescued by these big brothers. We are planning to go to Lulong and meet up with the crown prince."

  The sentinel heard it was Princess Wuren and his eyes scanned over.

  "Princess Wuren?"

  They naturally didn't recognize Wu Ren Xiao Xiao, but she had a reputation for being beautiful and famous outside. Now looking at Xia Chu Qi wearing a veil and then glancing at the unfamiliar faces of Ruo Feng and several others, they obviously became suspicious.

  "Is it really Princess Wuren? Can you lift your veil for a look?"

  Anaji tensed up for a moment, clenched her fists, and smiled, saying, "The princess got wet in the south of Yan and broke out in pimples on her face. Her throat is also hoarse and can't stand the wind, so she covered her face. You don't recognize me, why not go find your general? Maybe he'll recognize us..."

  After hearing her words, the sentinel still had doubts and remained in front of him, hesitating. It was clear that the closer they got to Khassar, the stricter the inspection became. Like a gentle cough, he walked past, still speaking fluent Mongolian: "Brother, my hometown is at the beginning of Langshan, I've been doing fur business in Nanyan, and on that day, I saw the Nanyan army capture Princess Wuren, so I took action to rescue her and sent her here from afar. You see, we are all good people, and there are no weapons on our bodies..."

  "Like the wind!"

  Before he could finish speaking, Xia Chuqi stopped him, taking a step forward and growling in a low voice.

  "Goodbye, Mr. Gaddafi!"

  The meaning of this sentence is "arrogant" when translated.

  She said in a low voice, she didn't even look at the several sentries, and directly pushed open their weapons, walking big steps forward. Before, she was silent, those sentries were suspicious instead. Now that she shouted this sentence, those people immediately withered away. Even if there were still places they didn't understand, how dare they really offend Princess Wuren?

  Startled, the sentry retrieved his weapon and followed after him with a laugh.

  "Your Highness, would you like me to arrange for someone to escort you?"

  On the seventh day of summer, I would say a few simple Mongolian sentences, but now I dare not speak anywhere.

  She let out a cold snort and glanced at him with a sideways glance, without turning her head back.

  A person's demeanor is everything; the demeanor of those in power is the most intimidating.

  No one expected that her being so reckless would actually work out smoothly.

  With the help of Ronghe and Anar, plus her timely addition of a few words like "get out" and "leave", at nightfall, the group successfully reached the main camp of the Northern Di stationed in Danning Prefecture - Lulong.

  But after all, it's a fake one. As long as you meet someone who is extremely familiar with you, you can't help but be exposed. Entering the Beidi military camp, I feel an atmosphere that is completely different from the Da Yan army, looking at the completely different attire and dress, Xia Chuyi is nervous and uneasy, her back is covered in cold sweat, her heart is hanging in her throat.

  Along the way, someone asked for peace, and she put on a twelve-point spirit "pretending to be cool", ignoring everyone, and letting Anadai respond. They were quite lucky, it was said that General Da Yan had passed through Zhenhe two days ago and went to Danning. At this moment, Hasar had gone out of the camp for inspection and was not in the camp.

  The prince is not around, so the princess is in charge.

  According to Xia Chuqi's request, Anaji took a few people with her and went to find the tent arrangement with an air of superiority. Time was limited, she had to avoid the crowd, settle down first, and then prepare for tonight's plan. But what was supposed to happen still happened, just near the tent prepared for the princess, a group of people came over.

  "Wow! Are you back?"

  The one walking in the front was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young woman, wearing Mongolian clothing, with a slender waist exposed outside, and her figure was very delicate. However, looking at her facial features, she didn't quite look like a Mongolian person, but rather somewhat resembled a southern Han Chinese.

  "She is a concubine of the Crown Prince, brought back from Nan Yan by him several years ago. Her name is Li Jiao. She and the Princess have never gotten along..."

  Anaji said in a low voice, and Feng translated it to Xia Chuqi immediately.

  Li Jiao? Xia Chuqi looked at the woman, feeling a little familiar with her face, but didn't think much of it. The situation didn't allow her to think too much either. Since Li Jiao was Harsa's concubine and had a bad relationship with Wuren Xixi, running into her would be dangerous. Fortunately, she was wearing Wuren Xixi's clothes, her figure was similar to Wuren Xixi's, and her personal maid Anarji was covering for her. As long as she didn't speak or remove her veil, there wouldn't be a big problem.

  Her fingers clenched slightly, she raised her chin, coldly glanced at Li Jiao, hummed, and didn't speak.

  Ana looked at her and bowed respectfully, saying, "Milady, the princess has returned. The princess is tired from the journey, and I was just about to take her to rest and bathe before going to see the prince..."

  "Shut up! What right do you have to speak?"

  Li Jiao naturally knew Anar, but she relied on Harsa's favor and had always been arrogant, especially despising Harsa's more favored younger sister Uren Qiaoxiao. After glancing at Xia Chuqi who was veiled, she walked over with a cold smile, her head held high and chest out, the decorations on her body jingling as she swayed her hips, while her provocative voice was sharp and piercing.

  "How can I not feel like a princess? I heard that Wu Ren was captured by the people of Nan Yan, now that the two armies are at odds, how could they have let her return unharmed? You people, you're not spies sent by Nan Yan, are you?"

  "Milady!" Anazi's palms were sweating with anxiety, "The princess has had a fright and is not feeling well..."

  Looking at her pale face, Li Jiao hummed coldly and stared straight at Xia Chuqi.

  "Oren, why don't you take off your veil and have a look?"

  Digression

  Miscalculation, originally thought it could be written until we meet, but didn't finish writing...

  Uh-uh! Everyone come back tomorrow to see the two meet. Sorry, Wen's sister, you guys worked hard, I must adjust the time, fist bump.

  ——

  Special thanks to the following people:——

  Dear [lixinzhizhu] upgraded to San Ding Jia - Tan Hua Lang

  Dear Xi'er has been upgraded to become a contributor.

  Dear [Phoenix Love Song] upgraded to Yuanjie.