This Joke Is Not Funny at All

Xu Shang's face instantly turned pale.

That single word, "Brother," shattered all of his previous schemes, and the intimate demeanor between Xu Sha and Yun Wanyi made his body tremble.

His pointing finger was shaking.

"You, you, you'd better not be messing with me!"

"This joke is not funny at all!"

"How could I be?" Xu Sha continued to smile. Facing his brother Xu Shang, whom he had once feared, he was now completely unafraid. "How could I possibly joke with you, Brother?"

"I am accompanying my wife for a meal. It's as clear as day."

"Indeed!" Yun Wanyi also stood up. Her eyes held not a trace of the youthful admiration and tenderness they once had; instead, she radiated a profound sense of satisfaction from head to toe. "My husband is having a meal with me. Can't you see that, Big Brother?"

Boom!

It was like a sudden clap of thunder.

Xu Shang's body swayed, on the verge of collapsing.

He wasn't a fool. From their intimate posture, he naturally saw their extraordinary relationship, and his mind instantly conjured up images of the two of them from the previous night.

He immediately gritted his teeth in anger.

His blood was boiling, almost rushing out.

"You, you, you two..."

"Xu Sha, just you wait. I am the next City Lord of Huai'an. How dare you defy my orders! Just wait, I will make sure you die a miserable death."

"When that time comes, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherhood."

Blinded by fury, Xu Shang threw down these harsh words, turned around, and left.

Yun Wanyi maintained her calm and breezy demeanor. "Xu Sha, I told you, whoever marries me will be the true City Lord of Huai'an. Besides..."

"General Zhang Shi is already waiting for us."

Xu Sha nodded, his face showing little fear.

Now that he had his wife backing him up, and General Zhang Shi, the Duke's great general, as his rear guard, his inherently unyielding heart was already overflowing with passionate blood.

His older brother Xu Shang had suppressed him his entire life, but in the coming battle, he, Xu Sha, would take back everything that rightfully belonged to him!

...

"Brothers! Now that Ren Tianye's grand army is approaching, we absolutely cannot sit still and wait for death. We must immediately organize our forces, guard all directions, and keep Ren Tianye's army out!"

On the martial drill ground, Xu Shang shouted with an awe-inspiring expression.

In Huai'an City, he had always been groomed as the successor to the City Lord. A considerable number of subordinates were loyal to him. Moreover, everyone knew that his marriage to Yun Wanyi this time was precisely to firmly grasp the military power of Huai'an City.

Right now, since his wedding with Yun Wanyi was ostensibly completed, the crowd's loyalty to him naturally reached a higher level.

Xu Shang was also well aware of this, so he resolutely made a ruthless decision.

"However..."

"To resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the interior!"

"There are still quite a few people causing trouble within our Huai'an City, intending to disrupt our peace. Brothers, are you willing to follow me and take control of Huai'an City?!"

There were about five thousand men on the drill ground. At this moment, they all shouted out.

"We are willing!"

"We will do whatever Lord Xu tells us to do!"

"Lord Xu came early to enforce military discipline on the very second day after his grand wedding. We are convinced by such dedication and are willing to follow Lord Xu to purge the entire Huai'an City."

"Loyalty! Devotion!"

"We are willing to entrust our lives to Lord Xu!"

...

The shouts of five thousand men created a massive, surging momentum.

Hearing this, Xu Shang felt his own blood surge, and a trace of cold ruthlessness inevitably appeared in his eyes.

Xu Sha actually dared to touch his woman!

And dared to rebel against him!

Then... he must die!

Anyway, their father was dead, so no one would plead for Xu Sha anymore!

He was merely a younger brother.

He could kill him!

The struggle between brothers should be exactly like this!

He immediately issued a loud command.

"Order: Lao Zhao, you will lead two thousand men to take over the city gates of Huai'an in my name. Especially the northern gate, it must be replaced with our people."

"The rest of you, follow me. We will first go to my Xu Manor..."

Just as the orders were being given, a personal guard suddenly ran over hurriedly. "M-My Lord, bad news, bad news! The young lady, the young lady is feeling unwell. She fainted..."

"What?!" Xu Shang almost jumped up. "What happened? She was perfectly fine, how could she faint? How did she just faint?"

He turned around and ran back. In a short while, he rode his horse to the house he had specially purchased for Ah Yao, only to see Ah Yao lying on the bed, looking weak and pitiful.

"Ah Yao, are you alright?"

Xu Shang asked anxiously.

"Just let me die, let me die..." Ah Yao's face, which had been clear and cloudless just moments before, was now covered in dark clouds and streaming with tears. "I knew it. You still can't let go of Yun Wanyi in your heart. You ran to see her early in the morning. You can't forget her. Everything you told me before was just to coax me, just to coax me..."

"No, no, that's not it!" Xu Shang hurriedly explained. "Ah Yao, I didn't. I went to the martial drill ground to deploy the troops..."

"You're even making up excuses to fool me! You promised before that you would never lie to me. You... you really are deceiving me!"

Sweat poured down Xu Shang's face. "Ah Yao, it's true, what I'm saying is true. I really was deploying troops..."

"You're still coaxing me!"

Xu Shang's forehead was covered in hot sweat. No matter how he tried to comfort her, it didn't work, making him incredibly anxious. He could only pace back and forth in the room, making endless promises.

He finally managed to soothe Ah Yao's emotions, but Ah Yao refused to let him leave.

"Ah Yao, be good. The soldiers are waiting. How can I let the soldiers wait at the drill ground forever? Besides, I am about to do something major."

"What major thing? Going to have fun with Yun Wanyi?"

"I am going to kill Xu Sha. How could I go look for Yun Wanyi?"

"Don't even think about tricking me with this little ploy!"

"It's true, Ah Yao. Xu Sha suddenly stopped obeying orders. I suspect he might be communicating with Ren Tianye's army. Right now, he is highly likely to be a traitor. I have to kill him. Ah Yao, let me go handle this major matter first, alright? I'll accompany you when I get back."

"Fine, go!"

Xu Shang breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah Yao, I knew it. You are the most reasonable and care for me the most."

"Once you leave, don't ever come back."

Xu Shang: "???"

"You can even tell such lies just to go see Yun Wanyi. It seems that in your heart, Yun Wanyi really is more important than me. A hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times more important!"

Xu Shang: "Ah Yao, no, really no... ah, ah, ah, ah, what exactly do I have to do for you to believe me?"

"Ah Yao has always believed you. It's just that you have a guilty conscience."

"Ah Yao, I, I..."

...

While the two were entangled, the soldiers waiting at the martial drill ground were starting to lose their patience.

"Why did the Lord leave and still hasn't returned?"

"It's been two hours, what is he doing not coming back?"

"It's been four hours! Is the Lord ever coming back? Also, what's the point of making us stand here all this time?"

"It's been almost six hours. The last guy who made his soldiers stand this long was taken out by Ren Tianye's Demon Suppression Division. The Lord isn't that stupid, so what on earth is he doing?"

"I say, shouldn't we just dismiss for now?"

...

While the soldiers murmured among themselves, not daring to make a reckless move, the gates of Huai'an City creaked wide open. Zhang Shi led his ferocious troops, marching straight in!

...