Vol 9 Chapter 131 (1/2)

Chapter 131

VOLUME 9 CHAPTER 131: DON’T TELL ME THESE ARE YUAN ZHI’S WORRIES (7)

Liu Bei POV

“I was naive and ambitious back then and thought that I could save the world by being a hero and punis.h.i.+ng criminals. So when a thug committed a crime in my hometown, I executed him.” Yuan Zhi explained.

“What’s wrong with dispatching a criminal quickly?”

Yuan Zhi shook her head and smiled bitterly. “Yes, I too thought the same back then.” Yuan Zhi looked away and continued, “But murder is against the law and I was forced to flee my home for many months. After I returned,I found that many of my friends and even family were punished by the magistrate and sentenced to hard labour in the border.”

“Eh?”

“The lightest sentence anyone got was paddling and when I returned every one of them cursed and swore at me.

— You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How dare you show your face here! We were all screwed by you!

— Not only did you not help the village, you even got all of us in on your misery! How are you going to be responsible for all this! How will you answer to the parents of those sent to hard labour! Do you even have any idea how old they are already?!

Yuan Zhi did not elaborate on what they said but I could guess what happened back then. It was not fair to Yuan Zhi but their actions were understandable. I frowned and tried to think of a way to console her but try as I might, I could not pinpoint any individual at fault here.

“For the sake of honour, I committed murder and brought harm to my family and friends and ended up being hated. I am at fault for this.” Yuan Zhi said as she picked up the bandana she set on the table and caressed it, “I have the ability to kill yet I do not have the ability to protect the people important to me. In the end, I even lost my father who died from overwork in the labour camps…”

Yuan Zhi chuckled self-deprecatingly when she finished and put on her bandana.

“In the end, that’s the best I can do.” She said after putting on the bandana, her voice sounding more colder than before, “If that’s the case, then it would be better if I did not have any power at all. Having as much power as I do now will only result in me doing the wrong things.”

“Yuan Zhi, you can’t say–”

“What happened this time is proof of that.” She interrupted me when I tried to refute her, “During the second battle, I couldn’t do anything. Even though I noticed what the enemy did, I still had no idea what to do in response.”

Yuan Zhi’s voice was firm and it was clear that her eyebrows were raised behind the bandana. When she finished, she paused and sank into silence as she lowered her head.

“Sorry, even though it’s my problem, I’m being like this…”

“No…” I did not know what to say and merely withdrew my body and leaned back as I pondered over what she just said.

“In any case, what I’m saying is that I am simply not good enough. At the end of the day, I still needed to rely on the knowledge of others to win the first battle.” Yuan Zhi said as she sat upright and closed her eyes, “I can’t turn things around now just by relying on my own strength. In fact, I might even bring doom to everyone. No, I have already doomed everyone from the second battle.”

“You can’t…”

“Even though I was not capable enough, I still came here and now look what happened.” Yuan Zhi interrupted me yet again. The corners of her lips were curled upwards as though she were laughing at herself on my behalf, “Instead of doing something,

it’s better if I did nothing. At the very least, I won’t do the wrong thing.”

The air seemed to freeze over as Yuan Zhi poured her heart out. When she finished, she picked up the bowl of sugar water and took a small sip.

I clearly… Cannot do anything…

This was the message I got as I looked at Yuan Zhi’s expression as she drank her sugar water like a down-and-out drunkard who is trying to drink to forget. The aura of a martial hero was still there but disappeared after she put on her bandana.

As I looked at Yuan Zhi, I could feel an urge to say something but I could not think of anything good to say. Even if I did force myself to say anything, it would not be anything new that could convince her anyway.

Rationally speaking, it is clear that Yuan Zhi has completely given up on herself. As a feudal lord, I should not be wasting any more time on her and should be heeding advice from Zi Long and the rest, and lead my troops out of Xinye city and wait for the next opportunity.

That is what I should do.

Alright, if you have decided already, then stand up. Stand up, you who has been Liu Bei for a year now.

“I too was once the same as you.”

But no matter how rational my mind was, my mouth still opened up on its own accord.