When Qi Shuo returned from the battlefield this time, the disdain from those Northern Qi soldiers toward him became even more obvious.

Of course, given his status as General Wuye’s nephew, no one said anything openly, and they even tried hard to conceal their contemptuous looks, but that subtle sense of alienation was undeniably real.

Qi Shuo could feel it, and so could Guan Liang.

So Guan Liang took the initiative to approach Qi Shuo to console him: “Young General, don’t take it to heart. It’s not that you were no match for the Zhou generals, it’s just that those Zhou generals tasted victory and all surged forward at once, forcing you to retreat…”

Qi Shuo’s expression was terribly cold: “But they won’t think that way. They’ll only think I’m a burden on the battlefield, laughing behind my back that I’m useless!”

Guan Liang raised his hand, hovering over Qi Shuo’s shoulder for a moment. The closeness of recent days emboldened him to let it fall. In the past, he would never have invited such rebuff.

Sure enough, this noble and proud young man didn’t shake off his hand.

“Young General need not concern yourself with those people. Who hasn’t had setbacks…”

After listening to Guan Liang’s consolations, Qi Shuo’s eyes showed remorse: “I misjudged General Guan before. One truly cannot judge by appearances.”

Guan Liang’s heart leaped with joy.

He had been accepted.

As long as he could attach himself to Tuoli, that would be equivalent to attaching himself to Prince Wuye who commanded heavy troops, and he would have his foothold in Northern Qi in the future.

“Does General Guan want to go to the battlefield?” Qi Shuo suddenly asked.

Guan Liang was startled, then quickly nodded: “What soldier doesn’t want to go to the battlefield? To be honest with Young General, these past days hiding in camp, my heart has been uneasy…”

Listening to Guan Liang pledge his loyalty and voice his grievances, Qi Shuo nodded from time to time, while beneath his seemingly calm eyes, ice quietly formed.

How could a person betray his country so completely?

Qi Shuo couldn’t understand it, but if it were someone who had made the same choice as Guan Liang, it wouldn’t be hard to comprehend.

Having already abandoned their own country and being cursed by their countrymen as spineless traitors, they naturally hoped the country they’d defected to would become as powerful as possible—best if it could crush that place they could never return to, eliminate those who cursed them, and prove with facts that their choice back then wasn’t wrong.

“I have a plan that could change General Guan’s current situation, while also resolving my embarrassment—” Qi Shuo hesitated mid-sentence.

“Young General, please speak!”

Just then some Qi soldiers walked by. Qi Shuo looked straight ahead with an aloof expression. After the Qi soldiers passed, he said in a low voice: “Too many ears here, not convenient to discuss details. How about this—come to my tent tonight. No, better not come to my tent, lest word reaches my uncle and he scolds me…”

After Qi Shuo named a meeting time and place, Guan Liang had no objections whatsoever: “Alright, see you tonight then.”

Qi Shuo didn’t look at him, merely nodded slightly, then strode forward.

Guan Liang watched the young man’s tall, slender figure receding, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Finally, he’d taken a step toward Northern Qi’s power center!

Qi Shuo walked toward his own tent. The two personal guards standing at the tent entrance greeted him: “Young General.”

He entered with a stony expression.

In the entire Qi army camp, Wuye’s tent was located in the very center, occupying the largest area. The tents of other commanders surrounded this tent, and Tuoli’s was no exception.

Qi Shuo sat down and took a sip of tea, his gaze casually falling on the tent entrance.

Any disturbance here would easily alert Wuye. Similarly, if something happened elsewhere while he stayed peacefully here, even if people had inadvertently noticed him growing close to Guan Liang these past days, they wouldn’t suspect him.

Qi Shuo wanted Guan Liang’s dog life, but he wouldn’t let taking this dog’s life interfere with the real mission.

That evening, as usual, there was a meal with wine and meat, considered a reward for the soldiers’ bloodshed and sweat. However, because they hadn’t gained much advantage on the battlefield, the gathering didn’t last too late before dispersing.

Soon, thunderous snoring could be heard from various tents.

Several teams of soldiers patrolled different areas, the aroma of wine and meat still seemingly lingering at their noses.

The most frustrating thing was being on duty when there was meat to eat!

Soon it was time for the shift change. Several teams of soldiers walked toward designated positions. The time from when they went over to when the shift change was completed was very short, just about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

The nightly shift change time was fixed. This brief window was the opportunity Qi Shuo had discovered.

Just as several teams of soldiers were changing shifts, six silhouettes that almost merged with the night quietly approached. Following the route firmly memorized in their minds, they moved and dodged swiftly, successfully infiltrating the camp.

The six advanced to a certain point, where two of them rushed off in another direction.

The two figures in black tight-fitting clothes drew closer and closer to a cluster of brightly lit tents. According to the intelligence obtained, those tents housed camp prostitutes, and quite a few soldiers were still coming and going.

The two lay motionless in ambush. Laughter drifted to their ears, along with embarrassing sounds of panting from certain tents.

The wind in the camp was somewhat less than in open areas, but it was still cold enough to freeze water into ice. Before long, their hands and feet began to go numb.

After an unknown length of time, a figure came walking through the night, continuing until reaching a tree not far from that cluster of tents.

The dozen or so tents clustered tightly together, their lights converging and fusing, breaking through the darkness to transmit illumination here. Borrowing this faint light, in the instant before that person was about to walk into the shadow beneath the tree, the lurking figures barely made out the person’s features.

The two exchanged glances and silently nodded.

It was their target, no mistake!

The person standing under the tree was precisely Guan Liang.

He rubbed his hands together and exhaled a white breath, casting a glance at that brightly lit cluster of tents.

He completely understood why Tuoli had arranged to meet here.

In the camp, at night people either slept or came to find camp prostitutes for relief, so even if someone saw them, they wouldn’t think twice. After they finished talking, he could conveniently go into a tent to have some fun.

As Guan Liang was thinking this, someone patted his shoulder.

He couldn’t help but smile and turn around, his eyes suddenly widening.

But it was already too late to cry out.

His mouth was covered, and immediately his neck felt a chill.

Was that his blood?

In the instant hot blood sprayed onto his face and blurred his eyes, he thought this.

The heavy body fell downward, caught by one person who gently laid it down.

Another person’s hand now held a fresh head. In such weather, the blood at the severed edge quickly congealed. He swiftly wrapped the head in the black cloth he’d brought.

The person carrying Guan Liang’s head heavily patted his companion’s shoulder, then returned along the original route according to plan.

He knew that the five comrades left behind probably wouldn’t make it back.

He who was carrying the traitor’s head back was the fortunate one. He felt reluctance and sadness for his comrades, but no guilt.

What of it? To drive back these Northern Qi wolves, as long as there was need, he was willing to be the one left behind at any time.

This person didn’t take too long to reach the edge of the camp, but this was where the Qi army’s defenses were most stringent. When entering, they could exploit the brief defensive gap during shift change, but wanting to leave, it was impossible to wait for the next shift change—by then it would be daylight.

He found a good hiding spot and began to wait.