Fang Jingqi looked at Xu Hu and became more cautious with his words. It wasn't that he was afraid of Xu Hu, but rather that his mind was filled with the thought that the man in front of him was his future brother-in-law. Thinking of this, he felt a lot more affectionate towards him.
Although Fang Jingqi stayed at the main camp, he was, after all, representing the Emperor on a border inspection. Xu Hu had inherited his father's personality and never engaged in flattery. However, bound by his military duties, he couldn't accompany the Crown Prince at all times. Left with no other choice, he simply dispatched his trusted aides to protect the Crown Prince during his inspection tour.
It was only the third day after leaving the main camp, but Fang Jingqi had already fallen in love with the feeling of galloping on horseback. He spurred his horse on with a few attendants, leaving Xu Hu's trusted aides to follow far behind. However, upon reaching the outskirts of the border fortress, Fang Jingqi witnessed a scene that made him frown.
A squad of border patrol soldiers was surrounding a family. From their appearance and clothing, this family looked like herdsmen from beyond the pass. A sudden shriek from a young maiden among them caught the Crown Prince's attention.
Oh, the maiden. Truth be told, she was quite beautiful, and she was looking his way!
Just as the maiden was roughly grabbed by the soldiers, Fang Jingqi rode up and shouted, "Insolence!"
The centurion leading the squad glanced at the Crown Prince. Sensing that the man before him surely had a powerful background, he didn't dare to act too arrogantly. "This is military business. Please do not interfere, Young Master. Leave at once!"
"Military business? Does the imperial court pay your wages so you can bully commoners? Let her go!"
The centurion grew somewhat annoyed. "We are executing our military duties. If you have a problem, you can take it up with the General! Move!"
"Let's see who dares!" He exchanged another glance with the girl. Her watery, aggrieved eyes completely melted Fang Jingqi's heart. He was determined to protect her today!
"How bold! Is that how you speak to the Crown... Young Master?" An attendant also hurried over.
Hearing this, the centurion laughed. "What does a pampered young master know about the affairs of rough men like us? Get lost!"
Infuriated, Fang Jingqi raised his hand and lashed out with his whip. Caught off guard, the centurion took a solid hit.
"Take them down!" a soldier shouted.
Just as the two sides were about to clash, Xu Hu's trusted aide arrived with his men. "How bold! You dare to besiege the reigning Crown Prince? Do you have a death wish?"
Hearing this, everyone froze.
The Crown Prince?
Unlike Xu Hu, the trusted aide he had specifically sent was quite smart and naturally knew how to please the Crown Prince. He immediately ordered the release of the innocent family and then commanded the squad of soldiers to return and accept their punishment.
"Your Highness, what do you think?"
Fang Jingqi snorted, his gaze unconsciously drifting back to the maiden. "Let's leave it at that. You all, come with me."
He was completely oblivious to the strange looks in the family's eyes.
Xu Hu's trusted aide also hesitated. Logically, this family was acting suspiciously, and arresting them for interrogation would be completely justified. But... after pondering it over, he kept his mouth shut. Whatever. Who else but the Emperor would dare to interfere with the Crown Prince's affairs?
Just like the original plot, this family used the Crown Prince's identity as cover, safely stole the troop deployment map, and fled under the cover of night.
When the incident came to light, the city was thrown into chaos as soldiers searched everywhere for the family.
The Crown Prince was somewhat bewildered. "Spies? How is that possible? How could Ah Zhu be a spy?" He had even been considering taking Ah Zhu as a concubine after marrying Xu Jiao, and now they were telling him they were spies?
"Your Highness, that is not the point right now. They stole our army's troop deployment map!" The trusted aide was almost crying from anxiety.
"Impossible. Ah Zhu is so understanding, and her eyes are the most beautiful I have ever seen. How could she be a spy? Absolutely impossible!"
The trusted aide stomped his foot and ran out. He had to find those spies first; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to escape the blame either!
While the Crown Prince was still internally conflicted, a lieutenant general who had previously taken sick leave returned with his men. Along with them, they brought back several bloody severed heads.
"On my way back, I saw these people acting suspiciously and in a panic. I originally just wanted to question them, but they actually drew their weapons. Hmph."
The next moment, he saw the deathly pale face of the Crown Prince. Startled, he quickly dismounted. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince stared at Ah Zhu's severed head, then at the blood-stained troop deployment map thrown on the ground. His mind was in utter chaos.
By the time he returned to Xu Hu's main camp, Xu Hu was also wearing a bitter smile.
"Your Highness, it doesn't matter if you don't understand military affairs, but why did you have to meddle?" he sighed. "If this troop deployment map had fallen into enemy hands, we would have had to fill the gap with the flesh and blood of hundreds of thousands of our soldiers..."
Fang Jingqi opened his mouth, but at this moment, he could no longer act tough.
Had he messed up again? No, as long as this matter didn't reach his royal father's ears, he would be fine.
"General Xu Hu!" Fang Jingqi stood up and bowed, startling Xu Hu. "Please do not report this matter..."
Xu Hu was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly. "No way. How could such a major incident be concealed... Even setting the Emperor aside, if my father finds out, he'll skin me alive."
"General!"
"Has His Highness the Crown Prince been well lately?" A voice drifted closer from afar. Fang Jingqi froze. He turned his head slightly and saw a face he despised.
Guo Hongru leisurely poked his head in from outside.
"You..."
Xu Hu stepped forward. "Lord Guo."
"No need for formalities. I am here to deliver an edict on behalf of the Emperor."
"Oh?"
"Crown Prince Fang Jingqi has been incompetent in his border inspection, arbitrarily assaulted soldiers, interfered in military affairs, and nearly ruined years of hard work by the border army! He is ordered to return to the capital immediately to face His Majesty!"
Fang Jingqi's face turned completely pale. He simply couldn't figure out how his royal father had found out so quickly. Could it be? He looked at his future brother-in-law in disbelief.
Xu Hu opened his mouth, wanting to say something to help, but he couldn't find the words.
Guo Hongru also looked at Xu Hu and bowed. "Furthermore, General Xu, I also bring a message from the Old General."
Xu Hu's burly figure shuddered.
"He told you to get the hell back... well, to hurry back, along with His Highness the Crown Prince," Guo Hongru kindly reminded him. "This matter has already spread throughout the imperial court. Everyone is saying that you, General Xu Hu, indulged your subordinates and misled the Crown Prince..."
Although Xu Hu didn't participate in court struggles, he knew what this meant. If people used this to grasp a weakness against the Xu family, everything would be ruined!
He inexplicably cursed the Crown Prince a few times in his heart, calling him a useless piece of trash and the like. Fortunately, the Emperor hadn't issued an edict for him, but his father had asked Guo Hongru to bring him a message. Wasn't the meaning obvious? He had to get his ass back and confess his sins, or it would be too late!
When Fang Jingqi dejectedly mounted his horse to leave, he saw Xu Hu's trusted aides kneeling neatly outside. They were the ones who had accompanied him on his inspection tour... What was this?
Those men looked up at him with faces full of resentment. Then, following an order, over a dozen heads rolled to the ground.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
