Bitter Realm: Have the Four Realms been united today?

Chapter 31 Captain Jing Yunfeng

It wasn't until the soldiers in front led him around two more unfamiliar bends, and the surrounding scenery became increasingly different from what he remembered, that Xuanming finally realized this wasn't an illusion.

He stopped and looked at the soldier's back, finally unable to resist calling out to him.

"Excuse me... may I ask how I should address you?"

"Just call me Jing Yunfeng. What are your orders, young master?"

"Um, Brother Jing...," seeing that the person opposite him didn't react strangely to the form of address, Xuanming breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask:

"This doesn't seem to be the way back to my old place. Does Mr. Yue have other plans?"

"Young master, you may not know this, but the study contains military secrets and precious books; it is a forbidden area."

"Apart from a few generals, anyone who enters without the order of the Soul Emperor or the strategist will be treated as a spy."

"As early as when the Radiant Palace was built, the strategist had already joined forces with the Soul Emperor to set up an array."

"The palace is protected by a large army, so it is not afraid of petty villains under normal circumstances."

"But if the army is fighting abroad, the strategist will activate the formation."

"The path you took this morning is now a dead end, so there's no way to return the way you came."

"I see," Xuanming thought for a moment, then continued to ask, "I am not familiar with Huanchen Cloth Martial Arts and do not know the taboos of this place. I would be grateful if Brother Jing could give me some pointers."

"If there's anything you can't explain clearly, don't force yourself."

"You're too kind, young master. The strategist intends to take you as his disciple, so there's nothing in the army that you can't tell him."

Jing Yunfeng looked at Xuanming with a very strange expression, a mixture of envy, sympathy, and pity.

Upon hearing this, Xuanming was immediately startled, his mind completely absorbed by the meaning behind Jing Yunfeng's words, and he did not notice the strange expression on Jing Yunfeng's face.

"How did Brother Jing know that Mr. Yue wanted to take me as his disciple?"

"Could it be that Brother Jing could hear what Mr. Yue and I were saying?"

"When the strategist was instructing the young master, he had no intention of concealing anything, and the soundproofing in the room was not activated."

"It wasn't just me; everyone on duty outside the building heard it today!"

With a loud bang, Xuanming felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he even stopped breathing for a moment.

"They...they all heard it!!!"

"Mr. Yue did it on purpose!"

He knew perfectly well that he was keeping quiet because he didn't want more people to know.

"Why? Why isn't the soundproofing activated?!"

Why won't you let me retain even the last shred of dignity!

Why should more people know that I am... a self-deprecating and cowardly person!

A rare flash of grief and indignation crossed Xuanming's eyes.

A sharp, humiliating anger mixed with unbearable hatred gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

He almost wanted to turn around immediately and rush back to the study, grab the white-clad figure by the collar and shout at him, he even wanted to...

Kill him with one blow!!!

The moment that thought crossed his mind, another rebuke followed.

"No, how could you even think like that!"

"Mr. Yue brought you back from the battlefield; you could say he saved your life!"

"You injured the Soul Burial Emperor, but he didn't hold a grudge and didn't blame or make things difficult for you."

"They won't despise your stupidity; they'll patiently teach you, and might even be willing to take you as their disciple!"

"How could you be so ungrateful, turning a small favor into a huge one!"

"Xuanming, Xuanming, you can't be an ungrateful wretch!!!"

The voice relentlessly cursed Xuanming, as if he had committed some heinous crime.

The anger in Xuanming's eyes dissipated amidst the curses that seemed to come from nowhere.

In the end, all that remained in his eyes was guilt and fear.

"Young master, are you alright? Is there anything unusual about your wound?"

Seeing that Xuanming was swaying slightly and his face was extremely pale, Jing Yunfeng quickly asked with concern.

He dared not let the person his strategist valued get into trouble on his watch.

"N-nothing!" Xuanming's voice was dry, and he subconsciously avoided Jing Yunfeng's gaze, his hands clenched into fists in his sleeves.

He didn't know how to face the person in front of him who knew his true colors, nor could he imagine how ugly he looked in that person's eyes.

Jing Yunfeng glanced at the lingering fear in the boy's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and softened his voice.

"Young Master... actually, the strategist isn't usually like this."

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"The strategist was strict in managing the army, clear in rewards and punishments, and handled official business impartially, without allowing personal feelings."

"But he was fully aware of everyone's abilities, and all the orders he gave were within the capabilities of the recipients."

"If an accident causes the mission to fail, the strategist will grant a pardon and will not pursue the matter further."

"Since I began following the Queen, I have almost never seen her get angry, nor have I ever heard of her deliberately making things difficult for anyone."

Seeing that Xuanming seemed to have taken some of the information to heart, he continued:

"My brothers and I all feel that these seven questions, one after another, are more difficult than the last."

"He only asked questions without teaching, and even punished the student himself for not being able to answer the seventh question. This is completely unlike the usual style of a strategist."

"Young master, perhaps you should think carefully. What did you do wrong that crossed the strategist's forbidden zone?"

Jing Yunfeng looked at the silent boy beside him, intending to offer some advice.

This young man, not yet twenty and inexperienced in war, was able to explain those complex and often contradictory principles in a clear and logical manner.

Not only were his thoughts and considerations comprehensive, and his decisions decisive and ruthless, which were convincing, but he also always prioritized minimizing casualties.

This made him feel somewhat favorably toward the young man, and it wouldn't be a bad thing if he could keep him in Huanchen to spread martial arts.

Jing Yunfeng's words were well-intentioned, but they inadvertently stung Xuanming's heart.

"Brother Jing thought I was punished because I couldn't answer the master's seventh question, and he didn't know the real reason!"

"Those things...didn't get out!"

"Xuanming, you really deserve to die! You've misunderstood Mr. Yue time and time again."

Xuanming lowered his eyes, his expression becoming increasingly frustrated and self-reproachful, and his voice also softened.

"Mr. Yue did not deliberately make things difficult for me."

"It was all because I tried to cover it up and refused to admit my mistakes that I angered Mr. Yue!"

Upon hearing this, Jing Yunfeng looked at the thin and frail young man in front of him and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"The strategist wasn't really heartless."

"If you are careless and negligent, admitting your mistake in time will result in punishment, but it will not be too severe. It will be more about making amends."

"But if one attempts to conceal the truth or evade punishment, that would be an even greater offense, and the punishment would be severe, no amount of pleading would help."

"Not to mention knowing their mistakes but refusing to correct them!"

"I never imagined that such a seemingly gentle and frail young master would possess such courage!"

He had previously thought that the strategist was being too harsh on the young man.

In retrospect, this was not harsh at all; it was clearly excessive indulgence.

"If it were someone else, they would have been skinned alive."

"While it won't be life-threatening or cause any serious damage, it's still inevitable that you'll have to stay in bed for a month or two."

"Unlike the young master, who was only punished with three lashes, and even that was personally carried out by the strategist, at most resulting in a slight scratch."