Chapter 738: Chapter 739: Here for Revenge

King Yan Nan laughed, as if he’d just heard a joke.

"It seems you are all quite resolute. I have guarded the Southwest for years and have always heard that the Southern Hu King is magnanimous, ruling his domain with benevolence. I never thought he would be so concerned about a mere bandit leader that he would insist on personally judging and punishing him. It is truly unexpected."

The faces of everyone in the Southern Hu Mission turned grim.

The meaning behind King Yan Nan’s words could not have been clearer. He was blatantly threatening them: if they continued to press him, he would reveal Tuoba Yu’s true identity to the public!

If that really happened, things would become far more complicated!

At that point, it would be a problem that no amount of compensation could solve!

Si Kouji stepped forward to smooth things over. "King Yan Nan, please don’t misunderstand. We are merely acting on orders. It is precisely because this bandit leader was so outrageously bold, nearly ruining the relationship between our two nations, that our Monarch is especially enraged."

He paused briefly.

"If King Yan Nan still feels this is improper, perhaps you could offer a suggestion? We can discuss it and find a solution. What do you say?"

Xiao Chengqi suddenly interjected, "Lord Si Kou has a point. In truth, we don’t wish for a misunderstanding to damage the harmony between us. A peaceful resolution would naturally be best. However... it seems that opinions within your mission are not yet unified?"

He teased playfully, "This Lord Rong Ke, for instance, seems to have plenty of his own ideas, doesn’t he?"

A cold sweat broke out on Si Kouji’s back, and he was filled with silent regret.

’If I had known this would happen, I never should have brought him along!’

This man held a revered status in Nanhu. Even the Monarch and Prince Su treated him with courtesy, so naturally, he looked down on most people. He had maintained his usual arrogant demeanor even after arriving here.

’Now things have come to this, and I’m the one who has to clean up the mess!’

He was suffering in silence.

But no matter how much he complained inwardly, Si Kouji would not let any of it show on his face.

He hadn’t forgotten the true purpose of coming here today.

"Th-this... This trip was arranged in a hurry, and we were assembled rather hastily. We had a few discussions on the way, but it’s inevitable that opinions will differ, wouldn’t you agree? Besides, this... Lord Rong Ke... he is not very experienced. He was only thinking of obeying the Monarch’s order to bring the man back to complete his mission. He spoke impulsively out of anxiety, and I hope you will all forgive him."

Si Kouji managed, with great difficulty, to smooth over the frosty atmosphere.

Rong Ke’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He seemed to want to say something, but when he caught Si Kouji’s gaze from the corner of his eye, he swallowed his words.

But the frost on his demonically handsome face deepened.

Xiao Chengqi appeared to be very agreeable, smiling and nodding. "Lord Si Kou is devoted to his duty. We can all understand. It’s no trouble at all."

He might have been agreeable, but King Yan Nan showed no sign of relenting.

He let out a cold sneer.

"The unrest in Long City caused immense losses, to say nothing of the sacrifice of many of my elite soldiers. How can their lives be measured in Silver Taels!?"

"Th—"

Si Kouji was in utter disbelief. He nearly coughed up blood from indignation.

’How could anyone in the world be so shameless, twisting logic and calling white black!’

’They lost many of their elite soldiers?’

’Who was it that lost more men in that battle!?’

’Tuoba Yu had specifically chosen five thousand of our best troops for that mission!’

’We lost that battle, and nearly all five thousand of those soldiers were annihilated!’

’The number of men they lost wasn’t even a fraction of our own!’

’And King Yan Nan had the audacity to say something like that!?’

But Si Kouji could not say these words out loud.

For one, admitting defeat was humiliating. For another, and more importantly, those five thousand soldiers had gone under the guise of "bandits." They could not, under any circumstances, admit the truth!

And so, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow this bitter loss.

Si Kouji took a deep breath. "Well... I did hear that a formidable general under King Yan Nan is exceptionally skilled and captured this... this man directly. I imagine... that brought a rather swift end to the fighting, did it not?"

At these words, Tuoba Yu, who had been silent and utterly dejected since entering, suddenly stiffened as if he’d been violently provoked. A deep hatred blazed in his eyes!

’That man... That man!’

’He was the one responsible for bringing me to this state!’

’If I had successfully escaped back then, if I hadn’t been struck by that arrow, none of this would have happened!’

Tuoba Yu was filled with immense hatred!

"Ye— Ye—"

He could never forget that man. The soldiers had all called him "Ye Si" with such fervor.

’Ye Si... Ye Yunfeng!’

’And what’s more, that man had come to the Capital City as well!’

Si Kouji’s ears immediately perked up, and he couldn’t resist glancing back at Tuoba Yu.

Seeing Tuoba Yu’s intense reaction, it wasn’t hard to guess what terrible things that man must have done to him!

But before Tuoba Yu could finish, he was suddenly interrupted.

"I didn’t realize Lord Si Kou was so concerned with such minor details." King Yan Nan’s eyes swept over him, carrying an invisible, oppressive weight. "This bandit leader was indeed captured by one of my subordinates. Otherwise, it would have taken far more time and energy. The swift resolution of the trouble in Long City is largely thanks to this man, who earned the highest merit. Why—"

With unconcealed pride on his face, King Yan Nan scoffed and asked,

"Is Lord Si Kou interested in him as well?"

Si Kouji’s heart skipped a beat.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and forced a smile.

"A young prodigy... who wouldn’t want to meet such a person?"

King Yan Nan stared at him and smiled enigmatically. "It seems Lord Si Kou is quite well-informed. I haven’t even said who the man is, yet you already know he’s a young prodigy?"

Si Kouji’s heart sank. ’I was too impatient,’ he thought. ’I let King Yan Nan catch my slip-up.’

But at this point, he could only bite the bullet and admit it.

"News of this battle is common knowledge among the people at the border. It’s passed by word of mouth, so naturally, I’ve heard a few things."

The atmosphere in the hall grew strange and delicate.

Both sides knew that the one kneeling there was Tuoba Yu, but no one could admit it.

Both sides also knew that Si Kouji had suddenly asked about the man because he wanted to find the one responsible for Tuoba Yu’s downfall. Though they clearly hated him to the core, on the surface they could only feign admiration.

How utterly ridiculous.

Si Kouji glanced around, still unwilling to give up, and asked,

"I wonder, is that man present here today?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.