Chapter 0017: High Fever

Chapter 0017: High Fever

Xiao Rong returned to his residence alone. Ah Shu was sitting inside, polishing his large sword.

Xiao Rong pushed the door open, closed it, and the first thing he did was cough violently.

Ah Shu was so startled that he dropped the sword and rushed over, asking with great concern, "Master, what's wrong with you?!"

He supported Xiao Rong, who had turned red from coughing. After a long while, he finally caught his breath and then jumped up in distress, "My sword!"

Ah Shu: "…"

After Xiao Rong picked up the sword and wiped off the dust with his sleeve, finding no damage, he sighed in relief and slowly sat down. "No worries, I'm not sick. I just shouted too loudly and my throat is uncomfortable."

Ah Shu was puzzled. "Why did Master shout so loudly?"

Xiao Rong stared silently at the corner of the table, each word he spoke in a descending tone. "Because Qu Yunmie is a big fool."

Ah Shu: "…………"

After a moment of silence, he whispered, "Master, it's better to keep such thoughts to yourself. Don't say them out loud."

Xiao Rong instantly reverted to his carefree demeanor, waving his hand at Ah Shu as he lifted his teacup. "What's there to fear? I won't say it in front of him."

Ah Shu thought to himself, that wasn't necessarily true.

His master was usually calm, but when truly angry, he would say anything and do anything. Despite calling Qu Yunmie a fool, Ah Shu could see that Xiao Rong was still quite composed, even relaxed.

Ah Shu wanted to say more, but saw Xiao Rong put down his teacup after drinking and said, "I won't go see him for a few days. The matter of the Buddha's Son is too important; I must show my stance."

It was also because Qu Yunmie gave him an opportunity. If Qu Yunmie had been adamant about it and even threatened to kill him, Xiao Rong wouldn't have been foolish enough to oppose him.

But since he didn't, it meant there was room for negotiation. Naturally, Xiao Rong would strive to make it work.

Ah Shu had heard Xiao Rong talk about the Buddha's Son before. He nodded in understanding and then saw Xiao Rong lift his face and give him a pleading smile. "However, I forgot to tell Qu Yunmie something when I left in a hurry. Good Ah Shu, can you make a trip for me?"

Ah Shu: "……"*

For the entire afternoon and evening, there was no sign of movement from Xiao Rong’s place. He shut the door and didn’t come out; if he died inside, no one would know.

Qu Yunmie stood on the training ground, holding a long saber, and slashed fiercely at the wooden post in front of him. Such thoughts passed through his mind without any issue.

Xiao Rong's frail body constantly puzzled him. How did he survive this long? A few days ago, he spat blood, but the next day he was lively again. However, the third day, he was sickly again, unable to walk a few steps without resting. But…

Even such a Xiao Rong climbed up Yanmen Pass step by step, drenched in sweat, just to find him and talk.

During morning practice, Qu Yunmie was usually focused, but today, his mind was filled with Xiao Rong, Xiao Rong, Xiao Rong.

Sometimes he was annoying, sometimes hateful, and sometimes overly innocent.

Another slash left a huge gash in the wooden post, but it didn’t break, and the saber got stuck. Qu Yunmie was already agitated and heard commotion nearby.

So angry, he wanted to kill someone to calm down.

Without holding back, Qu Yunmie yanked the saber out, breaking the wooden post with his sheer strength.

Turning around, the voices became clearer.

Guard: "The King isn’t seeing anyone right now. And who are you? Did you sneak in?"

The guard asked naturally, unaware that only their Northern Pacification King’s palace could be sneaked into.

Ah Shu was about to explain when Qu Yunmie squinted at him for a moment. Suddenly, his expression softened, his eyes widened, and even the gloomy sky seemed a bit brighter.

Qu Yunmie’s lips curled slightly, then he coldly gestured to the guard.

The guard received the signal, hesitated for a moment, and quickly informed his colleagues.

The guard questioning Ah Shu was stunned but still let him in.

Ah Shu was tall but thin, with no muscle. As a servant, he lacked confidence and didn’t know where to put his hands among the muscular soldiers.

Finally reaching the Northern Pacification King, he looked up at the imposing and fierce Qu Yunmie, swallowing nervously.

Overcoming his urge to flee, he bowed to the Northern Pacification King. "I greet the King."

Qu Yunmie responded indifferently, "Was it your master who sent you?"

Ah Shu hurriedly nodded. "Yes, Master sent me to deliver a message to the King."

Qu Yunmie stroked the patterns on the saber handle, thinking that scholars were always troublesome. Coming to apologize but not personally, sending a servant instead. Compared to those truly pedantic scholars, Xiao Rong was tolerable. He didn’t need to be too harsh on him.

Thinking this, he nodded. "Speak."

Ah Shu glanced at him, completely baffled why Qu Yunmie was being more amiable. Didn’t they just have a fight?

Never mind, focus on the task.

"The King, my master says he doesn’t understand divination. Please don’t tell others. If the Buddha’s Son doesn’t come, he will take on the role temporarily. Although the King has threatened to kill newcomers, you’ve also said that there can be a diviner in the Northern Pacification Army. When the Buddha’s Son arrives, he will step down and give the position to him. The King won’t renege on this, right?"

Qu Yunmie: "…………"

He took a menacing step forward, looking like he was about to devour a child. "Those are your master’s exact words?!"

Ah Shu jumped, widening his eyes and placing his hands on his chest like a frightened hamster. Seeing this, Qu Yunmie’s face showed pure frustration. After a moment of silence, he roared, "Get lost!"

Ah Shu immediately relaxed and fled.

After Ah Shu left, Qu Yunmie paced back and forth, each step filled with anger. Finally, he thrust his saber into the ground in frustration, waved away the guards trying to follow him, and disappeared.

Xiao Rong was determined to invite the Buddha's son, and Qu Yunmie was equally determined to oppose him.

To be honest, Xiao Rong's questioning that day had already shaken Qu Yunmie somewhat. But when he discovered that Xiao Rong was so intent on getting this Buddha's son, even using himself as a threat, Qu Yunmie became enraged. How ridiculous!

What kind of person was Xiao Rong? Just a capable scholar, how could he threaten Qu Yunmie?!

At this moment, in Qu Yunmie's mind, the Buddha's son was no longer important; what mattered was that Xiao Rong dared to threaten him.

No, the Buddha's son still mattered because it was for this bald monk that Xiao Rong threatened him!

Without even seeing the Buddha's son, Qu Yunmie already viewed him as an abhorrent figure. ...

Xiao Rong ignored Qu Yunmie, and Qu Yunmie decided to ignore Xiao Rong as well. No one knew what Xiao Rong was doing next, but Qu Yunmie almost turned Yanmen County upside down.

He was determined to find the traitor in his army and kill him personally to vent his anger.

The frenzied search proved effective, quickly revealing two minor officers. One of them, after being tortured, admitted that he was the one who spread the nursery rhyme.

But looking at their confessions, Qu Yunmie felt something was still amiss.

Qu Yunmie was a master strategist in battle, unparalleled in deploying troops, but he lacked any governance skills. However, he had another unique talent.

His intuition was exceptionally sharp. A commander's keenness could reduce many casualties in battle. The previous ambush was also due to Qu Yunmie's intuition, which led to his sudden return.

Now his intuition told him that these two were mere ants, and there were still traitors within his ranks who had not yet revealed themselves.

Moreover, Xiao Rong had said from the beginning that the traitor must be someone with high rank and power in the army. ... Why did he keep thinking about him?

Though intuition was good, it could only serve as a warning. The specifics of implementation and searching still depended on Qu Yunmie himself.

However, he hit a roadblock here. *

The army was in turmoil due to the search for the traitor, while the real traitor, though fearful, maintained his usual demeanor.

But deep down, he knew that if they continued this relentless investigation, sooner or later, they would find him.

So he wrote a letter to Li Xiuheng, urging him to find a way out, as he needed a backup plan.

Little did he know that Li Xiuheng was now in dire straits himself.

It was he who made contact with the Tu people and gave assurances to the Xianbei. The Breeze Sect only sent two low-ranking guardians, and the sect leader never even showed his face.

The Xianbei decided to act because he was once the commander of the Northern Pacification Army, knowing its secrets, making them believe it was profitable.

In reality, when he fled, the Northern Pacification Army had few soldiers left, and everything it had now was built by Qu Yunmie.

All he could use was his old reputation to convince those already inclined to betray.

Those loyal to Li Xiuheng were all dead, and if anyone truly remained loyal to Qu Yunmie, they wouldn't have been swayed by him.

Thus, those who betrayed did so for their own sake, and for their own sake, they could do anything.

Li Xiuheng wasn't afraid of small fry, but he feared that someone might sell him out. So he tried to reassure him, telling him not to worry, the sect leader wouldn't let them down. If worse came to worst, they could seek refuge with Huang Yanjiong.

After Huang Yanqin died, Huang Yanjiong developed his own power base in Jianning. He had a grudge against Qu Yunmie and would definitely take them in if they defected.

Upon receiving the letter, the man didn't really believe these words, but for now, he had no choice but to trust them. He burned the letter and blew out the lamp to sleep.

Meanwhile, Xiao Rong was sleeping soundly when he suddenly groaned in discomfort.

Ah Shu, half-asleep in the outer room, heard this and got up to check. He touched Xiao Rong's arm and immediately sensed something was wrong. Upon closer inspection, Ah Shu cried out, "Master, you have a high fever!"