Wuye was about to lead troops to depart when he saw Qi Shuo approaching. He asked with concern: “Why aren’t you resting properly?”

“I’m going too.” Qi Shuo was brief and to the point, his voice sounding even more hoarse than yesterday.

Wuye couldn’t help but frown, his face full of disapproval: “You’ve just returned after suffering considerable hardship. Your body needs proper recuperation.”

“Uncle—”

Wuye raised a hand, stopping Qi Shuo from continuing: “There’s no rush to deal with those Zhou people. Once you’ve recovered, there will be plenty of opportunities to go to the battlefield.”

Seeing his firm attitude, Qi Shuo said no more.

Before departing, Wuye patted Qi Shuo’s shoulder: “Don’t worry. Your uncle will definitely teach those dogs a lesson and help you vent your anger.”

Every general who passed by Qi Shuo said similar words. One could see they were all holding back a bellyful of anger because of the negotiations.

The Qi people all had a wolf-like nature in their bones. In their view, this couldn’t be called negotiations at all—this was getting slapped in the face repeatedly, until their faces were swollen.

Qi Shuo saw these people off, lowering his eyelids to conceal the worry in his eyes.

Today’s battle would definitely be a hard fight for the Zhou army.

He walked slowly with a troubled expression, unconsciously walking farther and farther. A personal guard silently followed close behind without speaking up to remind him.

In the guard’s view, there was nothing wrong with the young general walking around casually. In this camp, there was nowhere the young general couldn’t go. If he spoke up to disturb the young general who was lost in thought, that would be tactless.

And while Qi Shuo seemed to be wandering absentmindedly, he was actually constantly memorizing the layout of the Qi camp in secret. Finally, he found the most crucial location—where the granary was.

He didn’t approach it. After glancing at it from a distance, he turned his steps and walked in another direction.

Setting fire to the enemy army’s granary wasn’t in his plans, but on the premise of not arousing suspicion, discovering where the granary was located or finding out other key locations could do no harm.

Qi Shuo walked slowly when he suddenly heard a shout: “Young General!”

His steps halted, and he looked toward the sound.

The one calling him was a man in his thirties, tall and powerfully built with a square-shaped face.

A flash of cold light swept quickly through the depths of Qi Shuo’s eyes.

Guan Changliang, the Northern Territory’s defending general!

Northern Qi’s initially unstoppable momentum, which had dealt Great Zhou a severe blow like a club to the head, was all thanks to this man.

In the time it took to think this through, Guan Changliang had walked over, his face wearing an ingratiating smile: “Is the young general all right? Yesterday I was thinking of you the whole time, but I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I didn’t come forward.”

As a surrendered general, although Guan Changliang had rendered great service to Northern Qi, it was impossible for him to gain Wuye’s complete trust. This included several key battles where he had been left behind in camp.

Guan Changliang wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t shown even a trace of resentment about this.

Qi Shuo looked at the upright square face before him, thinking to himself that the saying “one cannot judge a person by appearance” was made for this very man.

“I’m fine.” He nodded coldly.

“Young General… did you see Prince Jing?”

Qi Shuo looked at Guan Changliang expressionlessly. Seeing his eyes flicker, he raised an eyebrow slightly: “What about it?”

Guan Changliang gave an awkward smile: “In earlier years I had dealings with Prince Jing. Don’t be fooled by his rough and careless appearance—in reality he’s meticulous beneath a crude exterior, with depths in his heart. He’s not a simple person. The young general mustn’t be deceived.”

Qi Shuo let out a light laugh and rarely said a longer sentence: “Indeed, one cannot judge by appearance. Didn’t you remind my uncle?”

“Naturally I reminded him. I just thought that the young general might have dealings with this person in the future, so I spoke up.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Qi Shuo’s neither cold nor warm manner, Guan Changliang felt somewhat annoyed.

He had originally thought that after sending Northern Qi so many benefits, he would definitely be treated with courtesy after surrendering. Who knew that although the Qi Emperor had bestowed considerable rewards, once in the army he could clearly feel these people’s contempt.

For example, Great General Wuye, and the young fellow before him now—he had humbled himself to approach them only to find his warm face pressed against a cold backside.

“Where is the young general heading?” These thoughts turned in Guan Changliang’s mind, but his face showed nothing.

Qi Shuo glanced at him sideways, quite coldly: “Feeling stifled. Just walking around.”

Guan Changliang strongly agreed with Qi Shuo’s statement.

Anyone who fell into enemy hands and was finally ransomed back with four generals and seven hundred warhorses would feel stifled. If it were him, forget feeling stifled—he’d probably not sleep for a month.

To be honest, right now when he looked at Woli, it was as if he saw countless fat and sturdy warhorses running past before his eyes.

“Shall I walk with the young general?”

“No need.” Qi Shuo refused bluntly and walked past Guan Changliang.

He could feel a gaze falling on him. In his slightly lowered eyes, frost condensed, sealing away his killing intent.

To catch the bandits, first catch their leader—his purpose in infiltrating the enemy camp was to take Wuye’s life. But now, he also wanted Guan Changliang’s dog life.

As the defending general of the Northern Territory, yet he defected to the enemy and betrayed the nation—the impact was extremely detrimental. Guan Changliang’s defection was like opening the floodgates on some kind of bottom line, causing more people with such thoughts to put them into action.

Guan Changliang’s death would both be punishment for his disloyalty and treachery, and more importantly, a deterrent to those who harbored disloyal intentions.

At nightfall, bonfires were lit in the camp, and the air filled with the aroma of wine.

In the daytime battle, Northern Qi’s side had gained the upper hand. Though it couldn’t be called a victory banquet, the generals still gathered together to drink wine and eat meat, enjoying a brief moment of relaxation.

Although Qi Shuo hadn’t been allowed to participate in battle, he couldn’t be absent from such occasions. Thus, from these people’s conversations, he learned one thing: whenever the two armies fought and one side gained the upper hand, they would celebrate like this to encourage the soldiers to fight even more desperately next time.

He held a bowl of wine at his lips, his peripheral vision sweeping over Guan Changliang sitting in a corner.

Because Guan Changliang wasn’t trusted and was left behind in camp, and because of the disdain in soldiers’ bones for those who defected to the enemy and betrayed their country, whenever such occasions occurred, he was always left sitting on the cold bench.

Bonfire and lamplight intertwined. Qi Shuo could see the obscurity and frustration on that face.

No matter how well Guan Changliang could maintain his composure, at times like this when even dogs ignored him, he inevitably showed some emotion. Moreover, he knew that no one would pay him any attention, so even if he failed to control his expression momentarily, it didn’t matter.

When his gaze shifted and met a pair of dark, somber eyes, he hurriedly put on a smile, but felt somewhat strange in his heart: Why was that young brat Woli looking at him? And even sitting not far from him…

Just as he was puzzling over this, he saw the young man walk over carrying a wine bowl and sit down beside him.

After waiting a moment and seeing that Qi Shuo didn’t speak but instead silently stared at the leaping bonfire in a daze, Guan Changliang could only take the initiative to break the silence: “Why isn’t the young general drinking? Come, I’ll toast you.”

The youth with a cold and somber expression lowered his gaze to glance at the wine bowl he held up. After quite a while, he touched it with his own wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

In this instant, Guan Changliang involuntarily felt a sense of being unexpectedly honored: That young brat Woli, who had always been cold and indifferent to him, had actually drunk with him!

Qi Shuo casually set his wine bowl on the ground, his gaze falling on the bonfire again.

Guan Changliang didn’t find this strange at all. Instead, he was puzzled by the other’s face-giving gesture just now.

Qi Shuo didn’t look at him. His hoarse and dark voice was barely audible amid the lively noise: “General Guan, do you feel stifled and aggrieved?”