Chapter 224 (1/2)

Chapter 224: The Imperial Court

The burly man had been taken down, but Jun Huang was far from unharmed when the shadow guards finally got to her. In the chaos she got hit in her arms twice. Fortunately the cuts were shallow. She looked vulnerable with her torn sleeves and the dried blood all over her armor and clothes..

”Get on, Gentleman Feng.” One of the shadow guards who was closer to Nan Xun jumped off his horse and led it to her. She gave him a glance and, without another word, nodded and mounted the horse.

All the shadow guards knew about Nan Xun and Jun Huang's relations.h.i.+p. Even though they'd only heard rumors, they dared not take her safety lightly. The shadow guard jumped onto another guard's horse, and they turned back to join the troop.

Jun Huang had taken enough lives to quench her hatred, but her attention was caught by the noises behind her. She looked over and saw Qi Yun getting intercepted by a group of Eastern Wu soldiers. Qi Yun had been trained in martial arts, but mostly in hand-to-hand combat. If he hadn't been accompanied by shadow guards Nan Xun a.s.signed him, he would have been taken.

Jun Huang rode to him without hesitation. The shadow guards sighed in resignation and chased after her.

The group of shadow guards fought off the soldiers under her command. The soldiers of Eastern Wu had refrained from surrendering themselves because they were close to taking Qi Yun alive, but their effort were hindered by Jun Huang. They pulled back and retreated.

Nan Xun was the chief commander. He witnessed everything from on top of the border city wall rather than from within the midst of the battle himself. Cold sweat broke out when he saw Jun Huang falling off her horse. Once the battle concluded, he rushed toward the troop without pause.

He let out a sigh of relief when he made sure that Jun Huang was alright, but his expression was steely and hard. She looked back at him with cool eyes without a word.

Awkwardness filled the air. Qi Yun knew what Nan Xun was angry about. In his opinion, this was between Nan Xun and Jun Huang. He was in no place to intervene.

His waist was sore from a day of riding. He went back to his tent with the help of a guard. The other soldiers dispersed as well.

Once the two of them were alone, Nan Xun let out a long breath and pulled Jun Huang into his arms. After a good moment, he said in a quiet tone, ”I'm not going to let you be stubborn again.”

She could hear his strong heartbeats with her face pressed to his chest. She slowly closed her eyes. ”I didn't get into fights I didn't know I could win. Don't worry too much. You know that I can't let Qi Yun be taken in that moment.”

A soft ”I know” was all he said. He could only take her words for it.

After that battle, the soldiers under Nan Xun had changed their att.i.tudes towards Jun Huang and Qi Yun. Jun Huang, especially, had won their genuine affection. She always treated the soldiers like equals. Sometimes she would sit among them at the campfire and chatted with them. They shared their war stories and hatred toward Eastern Wu. Since that day, the soldiers often boasted about fighting alongside the brave and decisive young man named Feng Baiyu.

Eastern Wu could no longer stand against the pressure Nan Xun put on them. After their attempt to take Qi Yun, Nan Xun stopped holding back. Every engagement left Eastern Wu with great casualties. In the end, they had no choice but to report to the imperial court and sought a peaceful surrender.

It was Nan Xun who met with the diplomat from Eastern Wu. The diplomat had planned to maintain Eastern Wu's pride, but he could barely stop himself from kneeling down when he saw the stoic war G.o.d Nan Xun.

Nan Xun scoffed at the way the diplomat froze in the middle of the tent. His unreserved disdain upset the diplomat. However, Nan Xun wasn't someone he could afford to offend. He was a representative of Eastern Wu, and he was now in Northern Qi's territory. A wrong move could mean a painful death.

He took a deep breath. He had to do something to break the ice. Finally, he mustered enough courage to say, ”Eastern Wu is genuine in our intention to surrender. We're willing to make compromises. What does Northern Qi plan to do?”

”We'll have to consult the imperial court,” Nan Xun responded coolly. He got to his feet, unwilling to waste another word on the diplomat. The diplomat was immediately blocked when he tried to make chase.

Sweat popped out of his forehead. He was in the enemy's camp. If Northern Qi didn't give him a response, he'd have to stay here.