Chapter 20

At that moment, Zhao Kuo’s favor with Huo Qubing dropped from zero to negative.

Before Huo Qubing could respond, Zhao Kuo quickly added, “He’s quite arrogant. He refuses to admit his family’s failures and only wears silk and satin. He’s not a good person to get along with. Miss Shen, just avoid him.”

Miss Shen looked at Huo Qubing in surprise, feeling he didn’t match Zhao Kuo’s description. But after seeing Huo Qubing’s annoyed look at Zhao Kuo, she believed Zhao Kuo’s words.

She thought that if she continued to stay with Ying Yue, she would avoid this proud young man.

Then she said goodbye to Ying Yue and left, returning to her room where she had been staying. She came to explain anything Bai Qi didn’t understand about the map.

Now that Bai Qi was gone, she didn’t need to stay and interrupt their conversation.

Once Miss Shen left, Huo Qubing could finally express his frustration since there was no “outsider” nearby.

The young boy angrily shouted at Zhao Kuo, “Zhao-Kuai-!”

By the time Ying Yue realized what was happening, the two boys were already in a heated argument.

Seeing this, Ying Yue rushed over to stop them.

Unlike when she was drugged in the palace and couldn’t stand, this time, she controlled her movements and stood between the two boys.

Her beautiful eyes were closed, but the expected pain didn’t come.

With a “ding-dong” sound, the only hairpin in her hair fell to the ground.

Zhao Kuo had raised his arm just in time to knock Huo Qubing down.

But Huo Qubing didn’t stop. He didn’t mean to hurt Ying Yue, but his swing had already changed direction and height, so he couldn’t adjust in time to avoid hitting her.

That couldn’t hurt her in the first place.

However, Ying Yue’s actions made him a bit unhappy.

Feeling that there was no movement between them, she carefully opened her eyes and saw the boy’s annoyed face.

Then Huo Qubing said unhappily, “Why did you suddenly come here? Do you think I won’t do anything to you?”

Being forced like this really upset him.

But the girl shook her head and said, “No.”

She explained her reasoning to Huo Qubing, “I just want Zhao Kuo to stop.”

As she spoke, she tilted her head to look at Zhao Kuo across from them and said, “I’m not sure if I can just call him.”

Ying Yue knew that if Zhao Kuo got angry, he wouldn’t listen to her. Plus, Huo Qubing was there, making things even more unpredictable.

She added, “But I know that if I run over, Zhao Kuo will definitely stop.”

“And if he stops,” the beautiful girl turned back to Huo Qubing, who was almost as tall as her. His eyes and eyebrows looked different from others and still had a youthful look. She said, “I think you won’t keep attacking me.”

After all, he seemed like a proud man, and how could he take advantage of someone in trouble?

“Okay,” he said reluctantly.

However, Huo Qubing was actually pleased with her answer.

Even though he admired good-looking people, he thought that they really know how to speak well.

It’s just that the proud boy wouldn’t show his true feelings.

Then, Huo Qubing raised his eyes to look at Zhao Kuo and awkwardly said, “You are actually quite skilled in martial arts.”

Compared to civil officials, military generals’ relationships often seem more straightforward. If you have the ability, he could set aside other thoughts and admit this.

When Zhao Kuo heard this, he remembered Huo Qubing’s previous comment about “talking about war on paper” and proudly replied, “After all, my father was a famous general of the State of Zhao, and he taught me himself!”

Then he looked at Huo Qubing and added, “Actually, you’re quite good too.” Zhao Kuo complimented him politely, “In two years, you’ll definitely be better than me.”

Huo Qubing just responded, “I’m stronger than you. If I were using my 17-year-old body now, I would have pinned you down and beaten you.”

Hearing this provocative statement, Zhao Kuo didn’t get angry or argue. Instead, he focused on another detail, “Seventeen years old? Did you die at seventeen?”

The young man, who died young, didn’t realize how excited he sounded.

At that moment, Zhao Kuo felt like he was finally finding a companion.

In response, Huo Qubing angrily replied, “You died at seventeen! I only started my career then!”

“Then how old were you when you died?” Zhao Kuo asked curiously.

Huo Qubing: “… twenty-three.”

Listening to this strange conversation between the two, Ying Yue, who had just been “persuading the fight,” looked confused.

After Zhao Kuo sighed about how good it was to live a long life, the girl, who had never experienced death, realized for the first time that they really came from different worlds.