Chapter 569. Civil Unrest (1/2)
Xiao Rong looked battered and exhausted. Although he had a rough appearance, he looked quite handsome upon closer inspection. Yu Xiaocao felt that he looked somewhat familiar, and after she carefully pondered for a while, she suddenly blurted out, “Qiao Feng——no, you should be Xiao Feng!”
If Zhu Junfan was here right now, he would definitely agree with Yu Xiaocao’s statement. This person really resembled Felix Wong’s version of Qiao Feng. Even the clothes he was currently wearing were similar——his clothes were shabby and looked like a beggar’s clothes.
Xiao Rong was shocked as his tiger-like eyes locked on the thin figure in front of him. Last year, an elder brother from the same clan, who resided in the Central Plain for the majority of his life, had come back to the tribe to look for his roots, and his name was Feng. He couldn’t remember whether or not his elder brother’s surname was Qiao, but based on the surnames of the Khitan tribes, this elder brother should be called Xiao Feng. Could the young girl in front of him, who was as delicate and tender as grass, recognize the elder brother from the same clan? Did she see through his identity?
The prosperity of the Khitan tribes had long become history. During the Song Dynasty, their Liao Empire had taken over half of the country. But ever since the Yuan Dynasty started, their empire gradually declined. In order to avoid disaster, most of the people from the Yelu Clan lived with the Han people and changed their surnames into common Han surnames.
They were ambitious and wanted to restore the former glory of their ancestors. But their wishes were quickly smothered when they were faced with the well-trained and powerful army of the Great Ming Dynasty and the fierce tribes such as the Jurchen and Mongols. With them eyeing their clan, the survival for his clan members was extremely difficult.
While the clan had external worries, they also suffered internally. His brainless younger brother was incited by his own ambition and started a rebellion while he was celebrating his younger son’s birthday. Amid all the panic, he entrusted his wife and child to one of his confidants and tried to pacify and control the armed rebellion under good faith.
He never expected that the brother he entrusted had been bribed by their enemy and gave him a critical strike. Fortunately, he had brave and loyal soldiers accompanying him. They protected him and helped him escape from the rebel army’s siege. But after they broke out from the siege, there were merely a dozen good soldiers left.
When it rained, it poured. They had just broken out from the siege when the blood from their wounds attracted a pack of wolves. If it weren’t for the person standing in front of him, then he, Xiao Rong, the grand leader of the tribe, would’ve been eaten by wolves.
Xiao Rong secretly observed his ‘savior’. As he observed the other party and the other party’s subordinates, he realized that they were ‘well-trained’. The group in front of him didn’t consist of many people, but they were definitely not merchant caravans either. He could guarantee with his own life that these people definitely had military background and were brave and capable martial arts experts!
This was especially true for the leader of the group. Although he looked more beautiful and charming than a woman, he couldn’t hide the stern and imposing aura his body was exuding. Just by looking at his face, Xiao Rong could already feel the blood-thirsty spirit that was directed at him. Even the best fighter from his tribe stood no chance against that man.
Although they were close to the border right now, this territory still belonged to the Great Ming Dynasty. Even if he didn’t have a brain, he could already guess that the warrior standing in front of him was a soldier from the Great Ming Dynasty. But he hadn’t heard about a war breaking out at the border? Could it be that his stupid younger brother’s rebellion had already been exposed? Did the soldiers from the Great Ming Dynasty already prepared a counterattack plan?
Or could it be...the person who encouraged his stupid younger brother rebel was actually someone sent by the Great Ming Dynasty? The Great Ming Dynasty had become stronger and stronger with each year. They had a well-trained and powerful army. They even developed a very powerful firearm that could kill people that stood ten meters away. Could it be that the Great Ming Empire was starting to become impatient and wanted to immediately unify the various tribes outside its borders? Was the rebellion started by his own tribe, one of the conspiracies planned by the people from the Great Ming Empire? For a period of time, Xiao Rong was immersed in his thoughts.
What should he do? The young girl seemed to have recognized his identity. Although his wound was fully treated, his physical strength and energy were vastly depleted. It would take him a while to completely recover. Xiao Rong glanced cautiously at the tall and handsome man standing next to the young girl. Even if he was in his best condition, he still may not be able to escape from his opponent’s grasp. Furthermore, he could tell that the handsome man dressed in white was not someone that could be easily dealt with either.
Zhu Junyang remained calm and collected as he silently observed the battered and exhausted man standing in front of him. He noticed that the man’s muscles became taunt and his gaze towards Xiaocao was full of alarm and ill-intention when his little girl blurted out the words ‘Xiao Feng’.
However, Zhu Junyang didn’t take this person to heart. The man in front of him was injured, but even if the man was not injured, he was confident that he could protect the person he loved. Furthermore, Chief Steward Su looked as if he was inadvertently trying to protect the young girl by sticking to her side.
He glanced at Little White who was baring its teeth at the unfamiliar man. A glint of praise towards Little White flashed by Zhu Junyang’s seductive phoenix eyes. Little White was always alert and loyal. Its first priority had always been to protect its master. It seemed like he should give Little White an extra chicken leg later!
“Yongxi, do you know this person?” Yongxi was the name bestowed to Xiaocao by the empress, but Zhu Junyang usually preferred to address her as ‘Cao’er’ or ‘little lass’ since it seemed more intimate.
Yu Xiaocao was embarrassed as she touched her nose. She recalled that The Great Hero Qiao Feng was a character from a book written by Sir Jin Yong. She didn’t transmigrate into Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, so there was no one named Qiao Feng here. She chuckled dryly and said, “Uhm...I mistook you for someone else! I’m sorry!”
Her explanation allowed Xiao Rong to relax. He knew that he didn’t look like the elder brother from the clan that much. How could a young girl like her possibly see through his identity immediately? There were similar items in this world, so there were also people who resembled each other a lot. It was not impossible for the young girl to mistook him for the wrong person. However, he must act cautiously since he was now at the enemy camp.