Font Size:
After learning about Huo Qubing’s “age of death,” Zhao Kuo put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and said casually, “You’re not much different from me, right? You just lived two years longer.”
“Alright, since we both died in our twenties, I won’t bring up what happened just now.”
With a “slap,” Huo Qubing pushed Zhao Kuo’s arm away, saying, “Have you washed your hands before touching me?”
“Also,” he glanced at Zhao Kuo, “you’ve been to that place, but I haven’t.”
“No,” Zhao Kuo was surprised by Huo Qubing’s first words. He couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of family are you from? I’ve never heard of a general like you.”
Mysophobia. [1]is a fear of germs or dirt. Zhao Kuo couldn’t believe a military leader would say such things.
Huo Qubing, hearing this question, proudly raised his chin and said, “I grew up in the imperial palace, and Your Majesty personally taught me the Art of War.”
Even though he didn’t actually learn it.
The young boy, who had been close to the emperor since childhood, silently thought this part but didn’t say it out loud.
Having been in Ying Yue’s world for a while, Zhao Kuo knew that “Your Majesty” refers to the emperor, so he initially thought, “Are you upset because I told Miss Shen you were poor?”
Huo Qubing snorted and didn’t answer. But from his expression, Zhao Kuo understood something. So he quickly apologized, “I sometimes speak without thinking. If I’ve offended you, I’m sorry. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”
Hearing his sincere apology, Huo Qubing looked at him and slowly said, “Also, you mentioned earlier that I was studying medicine.”
Zhao Kuo was confused: “Huh? Isn’t it fine to joke about that? Do you have too many rules?”
Then the young man heard Huo Qubing say: “In our time, physicians are seen as lowly. Some people even curse others by saying they will become physicians.”
“But you may not know about this, so… let’s forget it.”
“I also need to apologize to you.”
Huo Qubing was a proud person but was not unreasonable.
As for the physician, first, he thought it wasn’t his fault. He realized that during the Warring States Period, physicians had a lower status compared to the Han Dynasty. Secondly, since they had fought together, and Zhao Kuo had apologized, he wouldn’t act arrogantly as if nothing happened.
—If we really think about it, Zhao Kuo’s “emotional damage” was much worse than his.
—
However, Zhao Kuo’s situation was different from what Huo Qubing thought. After an initial period of feeling isolated, he gradually accepted the harsh reality.
Although he initially felt broken, Zhao Kuo later realized he was still working with Bai Qi, a great general. Nothing could be more disappointing than that.
In fact, rather than focusing on his own theories, he was more concerned about the declining status of physicians. After being surprised and realizing the truth, he stopped thinking about it.
Instead, he became curious about Huo Qubing’s comment about his emperor teaching him war strategies. He couldn’t help but ask, “Your emperor taught you about war? Is he also a military strategist?”
“Huh?” Huo Qubing was confused for a moment and asked, “Military strategist? What do you mean?”
Zhao Kuo was puzzled: “The military strategist from the various schools of thought.”
Huo Qubing replied, “Before I was born, our Han Dynasty rejected all schools of thought except Confucianism.”
Zhao Kuo was shocked: “What?! Say that again?!”
—
Since Zhao Kuo heard from Huo Qubing that all schools of thought were abolished and only Confucianism was respected, he felt dazed.
Coming from a military family, hearing that his “hometown” was abolished made him feel complicated emotions.
He could talk to Bai Qi, who was also a famous military strategist. Unfortunately, Bai Qi was busy elsewhere, leaving Zhao Kuo to deal with his emotions alone.
If it were Bai Qi, he probably wouldn’t feel too much about it anyway.
Feeling lost, Zhao Kuo declined the comfort offered by Ying Yue and Huo Qubing. He sat in a corner, trying to cope with his feelings.
Zhao Kuo didn’t want to talk, so Huo Qubing went over to sit next to Ying Yue.
Seeing her focused on the maps, he remembered his earlier question and asked in a slightly hurt tone, “You still haven’t answered me. What are you doing?”
He had never been ignored before.
Zhao Kuo, usually pampered by others, puffed up his cheeks in frustration.
“Ah?” Ying Yue replied, recalling Huo Qubing’s question. She was so focused on fighting Zhao Kuo that she couldn’t think of anything else.
The beautiful girl looked up and said, “It’s a long story, and I don’t know how to make it short…”
Huo Qubing replied, “Then take your time. I’m here to listen.”
“…Oh.” Ying Yue responded blankly, surprised he would listen patiently.
Then, she began to tell him the whole story, sorting out the events as she went along.
After finishing, Huo Qubing became excited when he heard Ying Yue talk about preparing to fight the Hu people.
He said, “Let me join! I’m great at fighting the Hu people! I have a good sense of direction on the grasslands!”
“But,” the honest girl looked at him doubtfully, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t help me?”
Huo Qubing: “…”
For the first time, he felt the sting of rejection when someone didn’t take the help he offered.
But it wasn’t intentional; he just didn’t realize she needed it.
—
That night, the girl lay in her room, tossing and turning until four o’clock in the morning. She quietly stared at the beams above her head. After a long time, Ying Yue sat up, put on her coat, and found a square piece of cloth in her room. Then, she quietly opened the door.
Ying Yue walked from her room to the storeroom and then to the kitchen. She gathered gold, silver, valuables, food, and water into the cloth, wrapped it up, and tied it into a bundle.
After doing all this, she looked outside. It was around five o’clock in the morning. Remembering that Jia Xu should be waking up soon because Zhao Kuo had been waking him up for days, she picked up the heavy package and half-dragged it toward Jia Xu’s room.
After two knocks on the door, Jia Xu, who had woken up, quickly opened it. Seeing the little girl with something behind her back, he wondered, “My lord, what is this…?”
The next moment, Jia Xu heard the little girl say, “Wen He, go!”
Jia Xu was confused. Was he hearing things because of his age?
***
If you’d like to show your appreciation, consider buying me a coffee—it really helps me keep going! 𖹭
Don’t forget to check out more of Vyl’s projects! ۶ৎ
_
✨ For even more, click Vyl’s profile or this link! ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
↓↓↓
References
| ↑1 | is a fear of germs or dirt. |
|---|
Vyl[Translator]
~Thank you soo much for the support! Love yaa~ ⋆.❤︎