People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 477, The Anxious Meng Tian
"Just think of me as someone who's here to see an old friend and join in the fun," Xu Qing said casually.

"Joining the fun? Your joining the fun almost cost me my life," Han Fei said quietly.

"Hahaha, isn't this useless? How could you possibly hold a grudge against me?" Xu Qing teased.

Just as Han Fei was about to speak, a mature and elegant female voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Hey~ I was wondering why I didn't see someone at Taiyi Mountain. Turns out they came to Xinzheng to drink? And it seems they're drinking my treasured wine."

Xu Qing, Han Fei, and Zhang Liang looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zi Nu walking towards them.

Zi Nu was still dressed in purple as always, the purple skirt swaying like a fishtail, perfectly outlining her graceful figure, and her mysterious temperament was perfectly combined with her gentleness and charm.

A half-smile played on her pretty face, and her alluring, narrow purple eyes looked at Xu Qing, a hint of coldness flashing within them.

Meanwhile, Nongyu, dressed in a pale yellow dress, followed beside Zinu. Her fair and pretty face held a mocking smile, and her eyes held a hint of ill intent as she looked at Xu Qing.

Upon seeing that Zi Nu's arrival was ill-intentioned, Han Fei immediately stood up, his figure swaying slightly, and the drunkenness on his face became even more obvious.

"Brother Xu, thank you for your hospitality. Don't forget our agreement. I have other things to do tomorrow and can't drink anymore. I'll be leaving now." Han Fei bowed to Xu Qing, then gave Zhang Liang a look.

Zhang Liang immediately understood, stood up to help Han Fei, and said to Xu Qing...
"Brother Xu, I'm so sorry, Brother Han Fei has had too much to drink. I'll take him home first."

Without waiting for Xu Qing's reply, Zhang Liang helped Han Fei and walked outside without looking back.

The matter between Zi Nu and Xu Qing was a family affair and had nothing to do with outsiders like them. The two of them had also drunk the fine wine that Zi Nu had treasured, and they didn't want to be implicated, so they decisively abandoned Xu Qing, who had just been calling them brothers.

Seeing that Han Fei and Zhang Liang were so heartless as to abandon him and run away, Xu Qing was speechless.

Zi Nu led Nong Yu into the pavilion, looking down at Xu Qing with a frosty expression on her pretty face.

In order to spend a couple more days with Xu Qing, she secretly stayed in the town at the foot of Mount Taiyi after the Korean delegation left Mount Taiyi. However, when she went up the mountain to find Xu Qing the next day, she discovered that he had gone into seclusion.

Zi Nu didn't suspect anything, so she planned to go and ask Yan Ling Ji about the situation. However, Yan Ling Ji had also disappeared. Zi Nu then realized that Xu Qing might have secretly left with Yan Ling Ji.

So she went to find Chisongzi and, after asking him repeatedly, learned that Xu Qing had come to Nanyang.

Upon learning the news, Zi Nu took Nong Yu and rushed towards South Korea. The two of them traveled a long and arduous journey, killing many villains along the way.

However, when they returned, they saw Xu Qing sitting in the pavilion, drinking with Han Fei as if nothing had happened. She was drinking the fine wine that she had treasured for many years. This made Zi Nu feel both love and hate for Xu Qing.

"Zi Nu, why are you back?"

Seeing the unfriendly expression on Zi Nu's face, Xu Qing also stood up and said somewhat awkwardly.

"Where else can we go if we don't come back? Are we supposed to wait for you on Mount Taiyi? Are you afraid that I'll interfere with your lovemaking with other women?" Zi Nu said with a cold snort.

Smelling the strong scent of jealousy emanating from Zi Nu, Xu Qing looked at Nong Yu beside him, who gave him a helpless look.

Seeing this, Xu Qing knew he had to give Zi Nu an explanation, so he sighed and said...

"Actually, I had no choice. I didn't come to Korea without telling you and Nongyu. I just didn't want to put you and Nongyu in a difficult position. My purpose in coming to Korea is not pure no matter how you look at it. If you come back with me, you will only be in a dilemma."

Xu Qing took two steps closer to Zi Nu, looked at her pretty face, and said helplessly.

Now Xu Qing no longer needs to use sweet words with Zi Nu; he just speaks the simplest and most straightforward language.

After all, if a woman likes you, even plain water will taste sweet. If a woman doesn't like you, no matter how eloquently you speak, she might not give you a kind look.

That's just how women are; they're so unreasonable.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Zi Nu's expression softened somewhat. Since entering South Korea, she had learned about Xu Qing's recent activities through Liu Sha's channels and naturally understood his good intentions.

She was still somewhat uncomfortable about Xu Qing keeping it from her, but since Xu Qing gave her an out, she was able to accept it.

Seeing that Zi Nu's expression had softened somewhat, Nong Yu glanced at Xu Qing with some reluctance before softly saying...
"Sister, when I came back, Hongyu said she had something to tell me. I'll go see what it is first."

“Okay, go ahead,” Zi Nu nodded and said.

Nongyu nodded to Xu Qing. Although she was reluctant to leave, she had no choice but to go to save face for her sister Zi Nu.

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible Nongyu, Xu Qing gave her a big thumbs up in his heart. He had to reward his sister-in-law tonight.

After Nongyu left, Xu Qing looked at Zi Nu again.

The frost on Zi Nu's face had vanished, and her originally cold purple eyes were slightly red, as if tears were welling up in them. At this moment, Zi Nu had completely lost her mysterious and domineering demeanor, instead resembling a delicate young woman, which made Xu Qing feel extremely sorry for her.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you at Mount Taiyi. I should have explained it to you beforehand."

Xu Qing approached Zi Nu, reached out and hooked her slender waist, pulled her into his arms and softly comforted her.

Zi Nu nestled in Xu Qing's arms, burying her head in his shoulder, her arms tightly wrapped around him, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

"I know, I'm just scared, scared that you'll leave me alone."

Xu Qing was taken aback upon hearing this, and then felt even more sorry for Zi Nu.

Zi Nu appears to be the matriarch of the entire Zi Lan Xuan, always radiating maternal warmth and protecting others. This is why people overlook Zi Nu's age; she is only a year or two older than Xu Qing.

"I will never abandon you, it's just that this happened so suddenly," Xu Qing said softly.

Zi Nu nestled in Xu Qing's arms, her eyes slightly red. She had never revealed her identity or background to Xu Qing, so she was very afraid that after Xu Qing learned of her identity, he would distance himself from her for some reason.

Now she can't live without that jerk Xu Qing anymore; she wants to experience the wonderful, peaceful life he talks about with him.

Smelling the reassuring scent emanating from Xu Qing, Zi Nu's mood calmed down considerably. With Xu Qing's promise, she felt at ease.

"Don't do that again next time. You must tell me in advance where you're going. Don't scare me like that again." Zi Nu released Xu Qing, looked up at him slightly, and said softly.

"Okay, I will definitely tell you in the future."

Xu Qing reached out and ruffled Zi Nu's hair, saying with a light laugh.

"This bottle of osmanthus wine is a treasured wine that I've kept for many years. It's the first bottle of wine I ever brewed. And you just took it out and drank it like that. How are you going to compensate me?" Zi Nu pointed to the wine pot on the table, once again adopting the demeanor of a mature woman, and said.

"How can I compensate you? One of my teachers once said that there should be an equal exchange. Since I drank your bottle of wine, I should naturally compensate you with something. However, I don't have anything valuable on me right now. How about I pay you with my labor?"

Xu Qing reached out and touched Zi Nu's pretty face, saying in a cheeky tone.

The Fairy Chao taught him a lot and was the one who helped him end his physical identity as Xiao Chunan, so calling her his teacher is perfectly appropriate.

"You naughty guy~ I just got back!"

Zi Nu naturally understood Xu Qing's words. She rolled her eyes at him and then snorted.

"Then I'll be gentle and give you a good massage," Xu Qing said, suppressing a laugh as he looked at Zi Nu, who had misunderstood.

Realizing she had been tricked by Xu Qing, Zi Nu blushed and then punched Xu Qing in anger and frustration.

"Damn it~ You'll have to sleep outside by yourself tonight."

After leaving a message, Zi Nu stormed off towards her courtyard.

The deep purple high heels stomped heavily on the bluestone floor, making a crisp, clattering sound, indicating Zi Nu's unhappiness at being tricked.

Seeing this, Xu Qing had no choice but to hurry after her; he didn't want to be kicked out of the house by Zi Nu.

Meanwhile, on the border between Qin and Han.

Qin army camps stood on the plain, black Qin army flags fluttered, and Qin soldiers in armor patrolled in an orderly manner.

It was already late, and no matter how hard the Qin army had trained, it should have been time to rest. However, in each tent, the Qin soldiers, fully armed and with solemn expressions, showed no signs of sleepiness.

The Qin army's main tent was brightly lit, and Meng Tian sat in the main seat with a somewhat anxious expression.

"Why hasn't news from the Grand General arrived yet?" Meng Tian glanced outside the tent and said in a low voice.

Five days ago, Meng Tian received an imperial edict from the King of Qin, ordering him to lead the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army to the Qin-Han border in secret, infiltrate the border troops, and await Xu Qing's orders to attack Nanyang.

He arrived at the border three days ago and has been waiting for the order to attack every day, but it has not come yet.

Back in Pingyang, he used an iron fist to purge Wang Yi's confidants from the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army, thus giving him control of 100,000 Qin troops. However, he was young and lacked the seniority and military achievements to command respect. The generals in the army only recognized his general status because of the Qin king's edict and his status as a direct descendant of the Meng clan.

The best way to completely subdue the elite Pingyang Heavy Armor Army is to fight a battle, lead them to victory, and gain military merit.

He had been waiting for more than two months and finally received the order to attack Nanyang, but he had not yet received the final attack order from Xu Qing, which made Meng Tian somewhat anxious.

(End of this chapter)