Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1837 Negotiation
“Xie Chen, I have thoroughly offended the Xiahou family.” Hong Tai raised an eyebrow and said brazenly, “That has nothing to do with you, Xie.”

"The Xiahou family may be irrelevant to me." Xie Chen drew his sword. "But Zhaozhao is relevant to me."

"Xie Chen, you are no match for me." Hong Tai spat. "I have countless lives on my hands, and I don't mind having one more, but I don't want to see Xiahou Yunzhao go crazy."

He wanted Xie Chen to back down, but unexpectedly Xiahou Zhang stepped forward and said, "Boss, do you think the Xiahou family has no one left?"

"You?" Hong Tai remained noncommittal, then changed the subject, saying, "Li Shengxuan sent you here, which shows his thoughtfulness. I just don't know if his intentions are for Prince Yucheng or for her?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Zhang's expression changed slightly, and he became intrigued. "If it's for the sake of Prince Yucheng, you should be inside the hall right now. If it's for her, you should be chasing after Xiahou Yunzhao. In any case, you shouldn't stay here."

Xiahou Zhang's face turned pale, while Hong Tai's brows relaxed, and he smiled, "You can only choose one: Li Shengxuan or the Xiahou family."

As if his deepest concerns had been exposed, Xiahou Zhang's face turned pale and then flushed, his lips moved but he couldn't utter a sound.

Until Xie Chen's voice rang out, "Lord Xiahou, you are acting on official business, while I am acting out of personal grudges."

The words were concise and to the point, a clear and obvious hint. Upon hearing this, Xiahou Zhang gritted his teeth, turned around, and went back into the hall.

Hong Tai watched Xiahou Zhang's retreating figure and chuckled to himself, but his words were filled with gritted teeth, "As expected, Li Shengxuan never had any feelings for her."

"You're only fourteen, with decades of life ahead of you. You'll be spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair. Is that alright?" Fang Zilan's voice was cold, yet it carried a hint of reluctance. Shangguan Mu hadn't expected her to be so blunt and was momentarily stunned.

Shangguan Min stood aside, her head lowered, and said in a barely audible voice, "The army doctor has already told Amu."

After a long while, everyone heard Shangguan Mu's voice, "Even if my legs are inconvenient and I can never stand up again in this life, it's still okay."

He clenched his fists and stood ramrod straight. "A young man's ambitions are boundless; how can they be confined by a pair of legs?" he said, his brows relaxing and a smile blooming on his lips.

"Well said!" Deputy General Cao said, patting Shangguan Mu on the shoulder. "Men of the capital must have ambition!"

"Anyone can say nice things." Fang Zilan's indifferent expression and unmoved demeanor were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, making everyone shudder and focus their attention on her.

"Even if you have ambition, not being able to stand up means difficulties. What ordinary people can easily obtain, you may not be able to achieve even after ten years of hard work. You'd better take care of yourself."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, until a voice suddenly broke the peace in the camp, "Lord Fang, have you finished your idle chatter? Why don't we get down to business?"

It was Qi Yuming. He looked coldly at the group of people in the center of the tent, his expression quite mocking.

Fang Zilan was not annoyed and said calmly, "Military Advisor Qi's words make sense. You three, please tell me how you encountered that pack of wolves?" "Our team of ten was ordered to kill wolves outside Sanyuan Village. We arrived outside Sanyuan Village this morning and soon encountered a pack of wolves. At first, there weren't so many of them, until..." The one who spoke was Shangguan Min.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Until someone was killed by wolves, the number of wolves suddenly increased. At first, I thought it was because the smell of blood was too strong and attracted more wolves, until Amu told me that he heard the sound of bone whistles. I realized something was wrong and used the Cloud Piercing Arrow to send a message.”

"The sound of a bone whistle?" Qi Yuming raised an eyebrow slightly. "Most of the northern barbarians carry bone whistles. How can you be sure that the bone whistle is the signal to drive away wolves?"

“I told Brother Min,” Shangguan Mu said loudly. “We heard the same bone whistle sound when we encountered the wolf pack before. It was exactly the same.”

"Before?" Qi Yuming's expression grew even colder. "Then why were you all safe and sound until this day when this accident happened?"

“Every time before, there were outsiders passing through,” Shangguan Mu said, recalling the past. “They were all outsiders from Sanyuan Village.”

"They're all from Sanyuan Village, and there aren't any other passersby?" Fang Zilan found it strange.

Shangguan Mu nodded firmly, “They are all from Sanyuan Village. Before we killed the wolf, we went to Sanyuan Village and asked around every household. We met everyone in the village, so we can’t mistake them.”

"With a hundred households in Sanyuan Village, how do you know you haven't admitted your mistake?" Qi Yuming pressed on relentlessly, his words carrying a hidden meaning. Shangguan Min, standing to the side, snorted with considerable dissatisfaction, "Amu is known for his photographic memory. If he says he hasn't admitted his mistake, then he hasn't."

"The words of a mere child are not to be believed." Qi Yuming snorted coldly. Just as Shangguan Min was about to argue, Fang Zilan stepped in front of him, blocking Qi Yuming's view, and said in a deep voice, "Whether it is true or false, the people of Sanyuan Village are all suspicious."

"Lord Fang, based solely on the wolf pack outside Sanyuan Village and the words of these children, do you really believe that there are barbarians harboring treacherous intentions and plotting rebellion?" Qi Yuming retorted sharply, giving Fang Zilan no opening whatsoever.

Fang Zilan didn't seem to care at all. "Does Military Advisor Qi think I'm being too hasty?"

"Yes." With just one word, Qi Yuming spoke with absolute certainty.

Fang Zilan's eyes darkened slightly. "If Military Advisor Qi has truly spent several years in the Northern Territory and heard about the invasion of the Twelve Barbarian Tribes into the border of Dajing, and has personally witnessed the Jurchens wreaking havoc in the Northern Desert, then he should not have uttered the word 'rash' today."

She spoke each word with a solemn, authoritative, and unassailable tone: "For hundreds of years, from the previous dynasty to the present, the northern border has never known a day of true peace. Even though the Jurchens have been destroyed, who can guarantee that the remnants of the barbarian tribes in the desert won't return?"

"Since I have been ordered to guard the northern border, I must protect this region and ensure the safety of every family. I know all too well that the northern border is where it is today thanks to the sacrifices of countless people, so I dare not slacken my efforts in the slightest. With tigers and wolves lurking outside, those who guard the border must spare no effort. I believe that Military Advisor Qi should understand this better than I do."

"While Lord Fang's words are reasonable, they are perhaps a bit too dangerous," Qi Yuming said, his voice lowering slightly. "Given the current prosperity of the capital, with friendly neighbors on all sides, the northern barbarians are not unaware of the times. Otherwise, why would Lord Zhong have petitioned the Emperor on their behalf to establish Sanyuan Village?"

"Does Military Advisor Qi believe the people of Sanyuan Village?" Fang Zilan asked with a half-smile, causing Qi Yuming to pause for a moment. "Does Lord Fang not believe him?"

Fang Zilan smiled slightly, her expression revealing a hint of arrogance that seemed to look down on everyone. "I've always only trusted myself. As for others, it depends on what they've done and whether they're worthy of my trust."