Chapter 29: The Warrior (IV)

Inside the Shule Governor’s Office, there was a dark brown desk, and behind it sat a young man with delicate features and striking good looks.
As the new military commander of Shule’s army, Li Kuo had not had a single moment of leisure since moving into the governor’s office. Every morning, upon waking, he would find a thick stack of reports piled on the desk. According to General Bai, these were all major incidents that had occurred in the various subordinate counties, requiring his personal review and decision.
General Bai was a Turki Shigil tribe member. Whenever the young man showed signs of resentment, he would always come up with various reasons, leaving Li Kuo speechless.
Those reasons were logical and reasonable, leaving the young man truly without anything to say…
Unlike the central plains provinces, which had administrative officials such as governors, deputy governors, and county magistrates, the sparsely populated Four Towns of Anxi only had military commanders like military governors and governors. Administrative duties were handled by these generals. As the highest official in the Shule Governor’s Office, Li Kuo naturally had to take charge of both military and civil affairs in Shule Town. From arranging defenses to prevent raids by Turki Shigil bandits and Tibetan outlaws to resolving land disputes among wealthy families in Shache and Jiashi counties, everything required his personal approval.
One doesn’t realize the cost of daily necessities until they’re needed; one doesn’t understand the hardships of cooking until they try it themselves. Although Li Kuo had previously commanded thousands of troops, that was only related to military training, not civil administration. Being both a general and a governor at the same time was indeed troublesome.
Yet, since he had become the highest official in this region, the young man had to gradually adapt to his role and the admiring looks from the people of Shule Town.
“If you’ve got the guts, come and get me!”
On the Lantern Festival night, that masked heroine from the martial world suddenly flashed into his mind, occupying all his thoughts.
Laughter, anger, and insults—all were expressions of affection. What should he do?
“Why, can’t it be me?”
“Wife! You… you got married?”
“…”
“Get away, beast! Go away…”
“We should…”
One after another, fragments flashed through the young man’s mind, suggesting that he indeed loved this cold and beautiful woman.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, but he continued to smile bitterly.
This love wasn’t as intense as his feelings for A Tian. He couldn’t even explain this vague emotion—was he truly in love with this woman?

That night, drunk, he somehow ended up in Ni Xin’s room; the young man had no idea what he had done… Now, whenever they met, both of them felt awkward. Although the young man had deep feelings for Ni Xin, he had no idea what she thought. Now that they had become husband and wife, it seemed the matter was no longer in his hands…

One thing was clear, however: Miss Ni’s attitude toward the young man had clearly softened. Though she couldn’t throw herself at Li Kuo in public, she certainly wouldn’t embarrass him either. Perhaps after spending time with Li Kuo, Miss Ni’s attitude had changed?

Sigh, love is truly heart-wrenching. Sooner or later, he and Ni Xin would have to confront their feelings, but neither of them wanted to be the one to do it first…

Pushing aside a report, Li Kuo took out the letter given to him by Zhang Ziqian, the commander of Yumen Pass, from his inner garment. The envelope indeed bore the handwriting of Uncle Gao Shi—bold and unrestrained, befitting a passionate man who loved swordplay and song!

“He asked me to give this to you. Open it when you arrive in Shule!”

Once in Shule, he spent all his time dealing with reports and completely forgot about it!

Using a small knife, Li Kuo broke the seal and slowly unfolded the letter. Sunlight streamed in, making the yellowed paper appear even darker, just as dark as the young man’s expression.

“Shen Sheng Chong Er, it’s up to you to choose!”

Those eight short words plunged Li Kuo’s mood into despair.

Even Uncle Gao was so pessimistic? Did Yang Zhao really intend to kill him?

Li Kuo took a deep breath and paced around the room with his hands behind his back. Upon reflection, his rift with Yang Zhao seemed accidental but was actually inevitable… Even without Yang Xuan’s interference, they were not meant to be allies. With Yang Zhao’s personality, if he wasn’t a hero to him, he would be killed! Besides, he had known about Yang Zhao’s plan to seize power. Although Li Linfu died a natural death in the end, if Li Kuo had remained alive, he would have lived in constant fear that the truth would surface.

“That guy isn’t human. What do you expect from him? In his eyes, everyone is just a pawn—my fourth sister, me, you, everyone in the world!”

Suddenly, the image of the Lady of Guo State appeared in the young man’s mind—her plump breasts heaving as she gasped for breath and spoke those words.

“Yes, you joined forces with him to overthrow Li Linfu, but what does that matter? You know too much—too much, do you understand? You know he wants to seize power; you know he used Shen’er to seduce that old thief and gain his trust. You know he will do anything for power, even sacrificing his own relatives! He wants to kill you to eliminate any future threat. He wants to kill you now to put an end to these rumors!”
Yang Huahua’s face was deathly pale, filled with helplessness. Indeed, how many things in life go as one wishes?
Before long, the Lady of Guo State’s face twisted, turning into Pei Hui’s somewhat youthful cheeks.
“Seventh brother, seventh brother… hurry and leave. Don’t take the official roads during the march, don’t pass through the city gates. It’s best, really best, to take a detour through the desert!”
“…”
“Don’t hesitate. Once you leave Chang’an, don’t stop. Remember, avoid entering the city gates if possible. After leaving Yangguan, head straight west—don’t look back!”
Heh! He had already fled to Anxi, to Shule! Did he have to flee again? Where else could he go?
Li Kuo suddenly realized he had completely deviated from the path he had initially hoped for. He had joined the army hoping to become a trusted confidant of the emperor, to one day clear his grandfather’s name, overthrow Li Linfu, and bring honor to his family.
Now, Li Linfu had been overthrown, and his grandfather’s injustice was about to be redressed. Yet the higher one climbed, the more unpredictable people became and the darker the political landscape. Every court official who smiled at you might, in the next moment, press a dagger against your back. Every kind and gentle elder could turn into an executioner who ends your life!
Abandoned time and again, schemed against over and over, Li Kuo was no longer the naive young man he used to be. He would never trust anyone easily again!
Living is so difficult.
“General, there’s a merchant from the Jiyuan caravan who wants to see you. Is it…”
A loud voice from the outside interrupted him. Li Kuo was startled and quickly hid the letter.
The bold characters “Jiyuan Caravan” might mean nothing to others, but for Li Kuo, a military envoy in Shule, they were truly inspiring.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land! Meeting an old friend!
Brother Guan was not just an old friend to him—he was like a bosom friend like Boya and Ziqi!
Although Brother Guan was much older than him, he never acted like an elder. He remembered his first trip beyond the borders was to investigate the secrets of the Luo Shu. Later, the matter of the Luo Shu gradually faded away, and he parted ways with Brother Guan due to wars in Longyou. Yet he could never forget the wonderful time he spent with Brother Guan.

Brother Guan taught him how to manage his subordinates, how to set up camps, and even how to fold blankets and sleep outdoors—everything he needed to know, Brother Guan would teach him without hesitation. Sometimes, he felt that Brother Guan was more like a father figure who cared for him dearly.
“Quick, invite him in!”
The young man exhaled deeply and gave a loud order.
“As you command!”
As soon as the bodyguard’s crisp voice faded, Guan Yuyuan’s stern face appeared before the young man. Dressed in a lake-blue vest and wearing a black cotton headband, Brother Guan was as handsome and upright as he had been two years ago, just as amiable and pleasant.
“Brother Guan!”
Li Kuo clasped his fists in greeting and exclaimed joyfully. He had waited too long, suppressed his feelings for too long—when he saw him, emotions surged uncontrollably.
“Hidden as golden scales, when storms arise, their sharp claws are revealed.”
But Guan Yuyuan didn’t respond directly. His lips curled slightly as he uttered an encrypted phrase.
“Ah!”
The young man was momentarily stunned before finally understanding what he meant!
It was the secret code of the Hermit Organization, known only to its members! If Brother Guan hadn’t mentioned it, he might have forgotten that he too was part of that organization!
“A warrior serves his true friend; when commanded by his lord, what matters is the world itself?”
He had memorized this phrase long ago, and upon hearing it, it instantly came to mind.
“Kuo, it’s been so long—we see you’ve grown even more handsome!”
Guan Yuyuan nodded in satisfaction and touched Li Kuo’s forehead.
“Brother Guan, here…”
Li Kuo whispered. Though he didn’t say it outright, Guan Yuyuan understood his meaning.
The boy had grown up!
“By the way, Brother Guan, how did you end up in Shule?”
Although Guan Yuyuan was the leader of the Jiyuan caravan, he had never been west of Yumen Pass. Why, then, was he here at the Shule governor’s residence, defying his usual routine?
“If I say I came just to see you, would you believe it?”
Seeing the young man’s puzzled expression, Guan Yuyuan waved his hand and smiled. “I led a caravan to the Western Regions to do business. War broke out in Suiye, so I took a route through Shule and headed north. Hearing that you’ve become the governor of Shule, I thought I’d drop by to see you!”
The confusion on Li Kuo’s face vanished, replaced by a sly smile. “I knew it! Brother Guan is a merchant—how would a merchant do business at a loss?”
“You little rascal, still as cunning as ever!”
Guan Yuyuan shook his head and patted Li Kuo’s arm. From the start, he had treated the young man like his own brother. Setting aside their identities, he wanted nothing more than to travel with Li Kuo across the land, following the Silk Road westward…

Time seemed to reverse, and they were back in Chang’an in the seventh year of the Tianbao era. Amidst the hearty laughter, some things remained unchanged—unchanged from beginning to end!