Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Guo Jing walked up to Huang Rong and slammed his palm heavily on the edge of the table.

The porcelain bowl on the table jerked suddenly, spilling a few drops of tea.

"Rong'er! What are you doing!"

"That head on the ground was clearly smashed open by a heavy object!"

"These two bastards went to a pile of corpses to cut off heads and claim military merits, why didn't you let me beat them up!"

Guo Jing's voice was extremely loud.

He had practiced the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms for decades, and his dantian was full of qi.

The shout caused the paper windows on both sides of the front hall to buzz, and the teacups on the table to jingle and tremble.

Huang Rong was startled and remained seated in the armchair, simply wiping the water stains that had splashed onto the table with a white handkerchief.

"Brother Jing, are you shouting so loudly that all the servants in the manor can hear you?"

Guo Jing's face turned bright red as he pointed towards the gate.

"So what if I hear it!"

"My husband and I have always been upright and honest, and we've spent half our lives upholding the principles of chivalry and righteousness."

"These two unfilial disciples have done such a shameless thing today; I, Guo Jing, cannot bear the disgrace!"

"I'll drag them back right now, tie them up, and whip them in public on the drill ground!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

Huang Rong stood up, took a few steps in front of him, and blocked his way.

"stop."

Huang Rong looked at him quietly.

"You tied them up and took them to the drill ground, and then what?"

"In front of the entire city's garrison, they'd say that you, Master Guo, have taken in two useless disciples who are good for fighting but quicker to snatch dead people's heads than anyone else?"

Guo Jing stopped in his tracks.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

This is Guo Jing's old problem; he clearly has a fire burning in his head, but his mouth can never keep up.

He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong or what to do.

Huang Rong reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back and forcibly pressing him down into the chair.

"Brother Jing, use your brain."

"What's the situation like in Xiangyang City now?"

"Wang Jian went to Fancheng, and the city is lacking a capable general."

"The Mongols were watching from outside, and the morale of the garrison was wavering."

"At this time, the city desperately needs a victory to stabilize morale."

"But it's fake!"

Guo Jing gripped his knees with both hands and rubbed them vigorously.

"We cannot use fake military achievements to deceive people."

"If word gets out, what will people in the martial arts world think of me, Guo Jing?"

"Who will spread the word?"

Huang Rong picked up the bowl of soy milk, took a sip, and then put the bowl back on the table.

"Those three hundred elite Mongol soldiers died outside Black Wind Valley; their bodies are there, that's a fact."

"No matter who killed him, the Tartars are dead, and that's it."

"Da Wu and Xiao Wu led a thousand men out of the city and brought back their heads. All the people and soldiers in the city saw it with their own eyes."

"Everyone knows that the Xiangyang army won a battle and their morale is greatly boosted, and that's enough."

After listening, Guo Jing paced back and forth in the room several times.

He was broad-shouldered, and when he walked, the soles of his shoes made a continuous dull thud on the blue bricks, like drumming.

"Rong'er, this really can't be done this way."

He stopped, his tone stubborn.

"We defended Xiangyang because of our righteous spirit."

"If the soldiers knew that their commander's apprentice was cheating, how could they lead the troops?"

"I'll go and drag them over right now and make them go to the drill ground to admit their mistakes!"

Huang Rong slammed the handkerchief in her hand onto the table.

"you go."

Go now.

Her tone rose, and she spoke extremely quickly.

"Drag them out and behead them, then tell the entire city's garrison that last night's great victory was a hoax."

"The Mongols still have gunpowder, and the Tartars could attack at any time."

"Just wait and see if the people in the city will pack their bags overnight and flee towards the south gate for their lives!"

Guo Jing was speechless, his face turning purple with embarrassment.

He lowered his head, held his head in his hands, and scratched his hair a few times with his rough fingers.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a muffled voice.

"No, I don't feel at ease."

"What if that expert who killed the enemy comes knocking on our door demanding the reward?"

"They risked their lives to kill the Tartars, and these two little bastards stole their credit. How could they swallow this insult?"

Huang Rong sneered inwardly.

If that expert were Yang Guo, he would be too busy hiding to come and claim credit.

That kid is very shrewd; he's probably already led his men into some hidden corner, too lazy to even be discovered.

But you can't say this to Guo Jingming.

"Brother Jing, listen to me."

Huang Rong lowered her voice and leaned forward.

"That expert used an extremely heavy blunt weapon, and his attacks were ruthless and swift."

"Those who wield this weapon in the martial arts world are mostly solitary individuals, and may even be members of unorthodox sects."

"He killed the Tartars and left without leaving his name, which shows that he didn't care about military merit at all."

"By attributing the credit to Da Wu and Xiao Wu, we are, in a sense, covering up the whereabouts of this master."

"If the Mongolian side investigates, they will only trace it back to Da Wu and Xiao Wu, and not to the person who actually did it."

Guo Jing raised his head, his brows furrowed into a knot.

He was slow-witted, and pondered Huang Rong's words for quite a while.

Based on his experience, this argument wasn't entirely without merit.

With a master like the Golden Wheel Monk in the Mongol army, it's not impossible that if the enemy knew the person's identity, they would send people to hunt him down.

"Provide cover for the expert..."

Guo Jing muttered it to himself.

That makes sense.

"But given Dunru and Xiuwen's character, if we indulge them this time, what will become of them in the future?"

Huang Rong turned around, walked back to the armchair, sat down, picked up the bowl of now-cold soy milk, and took another sip.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Let them have their moment of glory for the next few days to stabilize the morale of the troops in the city."

"Once things calm down in a few days, I'll just find some excuse to send them to the logistics department to manage supplies, so they won't have any control over the troops."

Guo Jing sighed deeply.

His two broad shoulders slumped down, and he looked like a deflated sack.

"Rong'er, everything in the city depends on you."

"I'm bad with words, I can't win an argument with you."

"But this whole thing was so frustrating, it made me feel terrible."

"You have to endure the discomfort."

Huang Rong's voice turned cold.

"You are a general guarding Xiangyang, not a wandering knight-errant."

"The overall situation should always be taken into account."

"Go meditate in the backyard training room and don't get involved in what's happening in front of you."

Guo Jing stood up, shook his head, and walked heavily toward the back hall.