According to the Qin military merit system, he defeated the enemy on the battlefield, rose to prominence, became famous, and was feared by everyone. He never regretted the path he had chosen.

But, on this lonely and endless road, sometimes he wished… that someone would treat him as an ordinary person.

That alone would be enough.

After Ying Yue said this, Zhao Kuo, who was originally standing beside her, was also stunned for a moment.

If it weren’t for what Ying Yue had just said, he would have actually forgotten that Bai Qi was just like an ordinary person. But no one had ever felt sorry for him from a “human” perspective.

He was so powerful that people often forgot he was just a regular person.

But maybe this was… the fate of being a famous general.

Thinking this, the young man suddenly felt a strange emotion in his heart. He couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it felt a little blocked.

Bai Qi, who had been stunned for a moment, came back to his senses and said to Ying Yue, “I’m fine. There’s just a tear in my clothes, but no real injury.” 

Even the only cut on his sleeve was caused by pushing a man who was attacked by the bandit leader and then chopped by him. The whole process could be said to be safe and sound.

But even though he said this, the little girl didn’t completely believe him.

Because of the experience when Zhao Kuo accidentally scratched himself on the way to Yongzhou but refused to admit it, Ying Yue felt that generals like them might avoid talking about their injuries.

So, the girl’s hand that was holding Bai Qi’s clothes shifted to grip his wrist through his clothes. Then, she lowered her head slightly, leaned closer, and looked at the skin under the torn sleeve, using her other hand to push the torn fabric. After confirming there was no open wound on his arm, she breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her hand.

Then the beautiful girl’s already pale face turned even paler. Compared to the faint smell of blood on Bai Qi’s body when he escaped from the palace last time, the smell of blood on him this time was so strong that it made Ying Yue feel uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Bai Qi couldn’t help but sigh. “Why are you doing this?”

The young man lowered his eyes and looked at the girl beside him with a gentle gaze, then said, “Zhao Kuo and I have different personalities. If I were injured, I wouldn’t hide it from you.”

Zhao Kuo:?

…Although, why do I feel like you are scolding me again?

Upon hearing the young man’s words, Zhao Kuo, who had just felt a little sorry for Bai Qi because no one cared about him, suddenly realized how stupid he was.

—Why would he, who was indirectly killed by Bai Qi, feel pity for the “enemy” who killed him? The mutual sympathy between military commanders was not meant for moments like this.

—Does he deserve it?

Just when Zhao Kuo was about to get furious at Bai Qi’s words, which had no special meaning and were simply stating a fact, the sound of footsteps was heard outside the door.

Then a sturdy figure who had been with them for a few days walked in, followed by a familiar rough voice—

“Two heroes! Fairy girl! I finally found you!”

After the last bandit was dealt with, the man who couldn’t keep up with Bai Qi’s pace, who quickened his pace to save time, shouted excitedly.

Seeing the person coming, Ying Yue blinked in confusion. She didn’t understand why the man hadn’t returned yet. It was more than half an hour since Bai Qi dealt with all the bandits in the village and she received the system notification.

The beautiful girl was still wondering in her heart when Bai Qi had already asked a question.

The young man, covered in blood, looked towards the door and coldly asked, “Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

Then, the sturdy man suddenly threw the bloody machete in his hand to the ground and knelt down heavily towards Ying Yue, who had the “highest rank” among the three during their interactions over the past few days. However, his eyes were fixed on Bai Qi, who was the most powerful, and he said loudly:

“I, I want to join the heroes!”

Although he didn’t know who these two men and one woman in front of him were, or why the strange trio was led by the most delicate and fairy-like girl, he felt that they were definitely not just ordinary nobles.

In their Yongzhou, a bitterly cold border area close to foreign tribes, especially in the five neighboring counties troubled by the Black Wind Village, who didn’t want to live a decent life?

At the very least, the fact that Bai Qi and Zhao Kuo had gotten rid of Black Wind Village, a major threat to the people, and their dislike for the Hu people ^[1]refer to nomadic groups or tribes. made him want to follow them and acknowledge them as leaders.

“No… brother, it’s very inconvenient for us if you follow, especially since you have your own brothers waiting for you…” The first to speak wasn’t Ying Yue or Bai Qi, but Zhao Kuo, who was standing a little farther away from them and the man.

The young man, who had been spinning his sword out of boredom, suddenly changed his tone midway and said, “It’s not that inconvenient. If you insist, I can consider this. You can even bring your brothers along.”

Zhao Kuo changed his tone because, moments before, he heard a mechanical electronic sound from the system in his ears:

[Ding! Mission conditions met. Main Mission 2 begins: Have 300 people within the territory.]

“Does the host want to check the task immediately?”