Le Premier ministre stupéfiant

Chapitre 85

"You little brat, you're not even wet behind the ears yet, and you already dream of becoming a general? You've got quite the big mouth." Someone jokingly shoved the child, who lost his balance and stumbled several steps before finally falling to the ground.

"Good lad, you have ambition, but being a great general requires more than just martial arts skills. Is your family wealthy? Did any of your ancestors hold official positions? Without money or connections, becoming a great general is no easy feat." Someone shook their head, their tone quite wistful. "Like begets like, our child. Just focus on digging the tunnel well; don't think about anything else for now."

"I want to be a great general and fight the Japanese pirates." The boy wasn't annoyed when he was pushed, but he got a little annoyed when he saw that everyone was taking his words as childish boasting. He looked up and met Mo Xibei's gaze, and asked loudly, "Sister Mo, everyone says that you are the most knowledgeable. Do you think that if I learn martial arts well, can I lead a group of people to wipe out all those Japanese pirates?"

“Of course I can.” Mo Xibei nodded without hesitation, walked into the crowd, squatted down next to the little boy, and gently patted his shoulder. “But to fight the Japanese pirates, it’s not enough to just be good at martial arts. You also need to study more, study military books, and understand the principles of warfare. Only then can you do it. Can you do that?”

"I can," the boy answered decisively.

"Good!" Mo Xibei laughed, his pent-up anger vanishing, and nodded repeatedly. "What an ambitious child! What's your name?"

“His name is A-Guang. He’s here to visit relatives in Tongxian.” Someone nearby answered with a laugh, and then said to the person who had just laughed at the boy, “You’re blind. A-Guang’s family is not yours. His father is a famous general. Like father, like son. Don’t underestimate A-Guang because he’s young. He’s a great general in the future.”

"Alright, alright, time's up. Let's continue practicing." Chu Junfeng, who had already stood up, changed the subject and urged everyone to continue practicing. When practice ended that evening and everyone dispersed, Mo Xibei finally remembered that the boy named A Guang had vanished without a trace. He managed to grab one person and ask, "What's the last name of that boy named A Guang?"

“Ah Guang? Oh, that bragging kid?” The man paused for a moment, tapped his head, and thought for a while before saying, “He just came here with his mother to visit relatives. I only vaguely heard people calling his mother something… Madam Zhang or Madam Wang… no, it seems to be Madam Qi, who knows.”

"Why are you so interested in children? Isn't it enough that you're keeping an eye on the mistress at home? Why are you so interested in this Ah Guangdi?" Chu Junfeng was puzzled, wondering why Mo Xibei had become so interested in children lately. He deliberately frowned slightly and leaned closer, saying with a touch of sadness, "I wonder when you'll pay attention to me as much as you do to them."

“I’m interested in him because this child reminds me of…” Mo Xibei was about to say that the child suddenly reminded her of the anti-Japanese general Qi Jiguang. However, Qi Jiguang’s family lived in Shandong. Although it wasn’t very far from Tongxian, transportation was inconvenient in those days. Could he really have come all the way here to visit relatives? But the words caught in her throat, and she couldn’t explain how she knew about things decades later, so she swallowed them back. When she looked up, she realized that Chu Junfeng had been watching her the whole time, his gaze filled with tenderness.

Upon seeing this, Mo Xibei was momentarily at a loss, quickly looked away, and took two steps forward.

Perhaps she was walking too fast, or perhaps the sudden surge of sadness in her heart made it hard to breathe, but she didn't see a small pothole in the middle of the road. When she stepped on it, there was a soft "crack" sound at her ankle, and she leaned to the side.

"Northwest!" Chu Junfeng didn't expect Mo Northwest to react so strangely today. Just as he was about to tell her not to walk so fast, he saw her twist her ankle and fall down.

His hand almost instinctively reached out to help her, and in fact, his left hand, which was closest to her, had barely touched her sleeve. But even faster, a chill rushed straight towards Chu Junfeng's left hand, carrying the unique force of a hidden weapon, striking with incredible speed.

Dodge and pull away; it's a human instinct.

Mo Xibei lost her balance and fell to the ground, her face flushed. She had never fallen so unexpectedly since she started practicing martial arts. She couldn't believe that someone her age could trip and fall while walking; it was embarrassing. She quickly straightened her twisted ankle and looked up. Chu Junfeng, who had been standing beside her, neither helped her up nor laughed at her. Instead, he looked thoughtful, seemingly oblivious to her fall, lost in thought.

Ugh, my new computer is acting up again! Yesterday it wouldn't even turn on, which frustrated me all night. And this morning I have to take the day off to get it repaired. Ugh... Sorry for the late update!

Volume 3, Chapter 12: Bone-Stick Wine

"What's wrong with you?" After quickly glancing around and finding no one there, Mo Xibei quickly patted her clothes and stood up. Naturally, she was also very puzzled by Chu Junfeng's strange behavior.

"Oh!" Chu Junfeng snapped out of his daze, casually slipped his left hand behind his back, met Mo Xibei's gaze, looked her up and down before asking, "How are you? Is your ankle badly twisted? Can you still walk?"

"It's just a twist, it's not like I broke a bone. I'm not some rich heiress, of course I can walk." Mo Xibei moved her ankle, and the slight pain only came from the bone. The pain became more obvious when her foot touched the ground, but since the bone was fine, it was no big deal for her. She took a few steps forward, and, well, it didn't affect her walking. So she said happily, "See, it's okay."

"It's good that you're alright. I didn't realize it until now, but the moonlight is so beautiful tonight. Why don't we slow down and enjoy the moonlight? Isn't it said that you can admire the bright moon on the battlefield and appreciate the clear autumn on horseback? The atmosphere here is not much different from that on the battlefield. It's a pity we don't have any horses." Chu Junfeng naturally noticed the slight unnaturalness in Mo Xibei's walking, but he knew Mo Xibei's temperament all along. He would say he was fine and then expect others to think he was fine too. Therefore, he made up an excuse to walk back slowly.

Mo Xibei knew what Chu Junfeng meant, but he still subconsciously looked up at the sky. The moon had just risen and was not as bright as it was at midnight. Instead, the sky was filled with stars, each twinkling like countless mischievous little eyes blinking at people.

"It is said that after people die, they turn into stars and protect the people they want to protect. I wonder if it is true?" Chu Junfeng caught up with Mo Xibei, who was walking ahead, and the two of them looked up at the sky.

"Who told you this?" Mo Xibei turned his head. He couldn't quite believe that Chu Junfeng would say such a thing.

"When I was little, my master said..." Chu Junfeng withdrew his gaze, looked at Mo Xibei, and suddenly asked, "Isn't that right?"

“There’s no scientific basis for that.” Mo Xibei twirled a strand of his hair with his finger, then thought for a moment and said, “Oh, what I mean is, I didn’t expect your master to be so childlike. Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention your family or anything like that in all the time I’ve known you.”

“My father and mother passed away when I was still young and I was raised by my master.” Chu Junfeng looked away and continued to gaze at the sky. “When I was little, I often thought of my parents and asked my master about them. My master pointed to the stars in the sky and told me that my father and mother had become stars and came to keep me company every night.”

"I was also raised by a master. Haha, we're similar in that respect." Mo Xibei had never heard of Chu Junfeng's background. He had only seen Chu Junfeng's elegant and noble appearance, with a pageboy serving him closely, and had always assumed that he must be a young master from a wealthy family. Unexpectedly, these uncomfortable past events were brought up, so he quickly changed the subject.

“That’s not the same,” Chu Junfeng glanced at Mo Xibei. “You still have parents, and no matter how many years have passed, there will always be a day for you to reunite.”

“Reunion?” Mo Xibei smiled bitterly. “I’d rather never reunite with them in my life. Let’s not talk about it. By the way, what’s the story with Tian Xin? How did he end up by your side?” Hearing this name, Chu Junfeng’s heart skipped a beat. Looking closely at Mo Xibei, who was gazing at the starry sky, it didn’t seem like she was intentionally bringing it up. So he said, “He’s the child of a distant relative of my master’s from the countryside. I was young when I became his apprentice, and there were no playmates of the right age in the mountains. That year, there was a plague in Tian Xin’s hometown, and his parents both died from the disease. The villagers sent him to my master, and my master kept him. Firstly, it would be convenient to take care of him, and secondly, the two children could keep each other company. He’s a few years younger than me. Actually, calling him a pageboy is less appropriate than calling him my junior brother.”

“Tian Xin is your fellow disciple, so his martial arts skills must be quite impressive. That’s strange, I never noticed before.” Mo Xibei sighed, seemingly moved.

“Some people are born with the physique to practice martial arts, while others are not. Some are suited to learning internal martial arts, while others can only practice external martial arts. Actually, Tian Xin put in more effort than I did. However, Master said that his physique is not suitable for the masculine path. A few years ago, I also wanted to help him find a suitable master, but I couldn't find one. Master often regrets that he has held him back.” Chu Junfeng smiled slightly, thinking of his childhood. Tian Xin could never master the moves taught by his master, and he was stubborn. So he would secretly go to the back mountain to practice repeatedly. He followed him a few times out of curiosity. Every time Tian Xin saw him, he would blush and be very shy. In order not to delay Tian Xin's practice, he stopped going to the back mountain.

“So that’s how it is. No wonder. It’s just that the martial arts style in the Central Plains is more masculine, while the ninjutsu of the East is more feminine. It won’t be easy for your master to find another master for Tian Xin.” Mo Xibei nodded and began to slowly walk back.

She didn't look at Chu Junfeng again, and naturally didn't notice the strange expression that flashed across Chu Junfeng's face when she talked about Japanese ninjutsu.

Mo Xibei usually slept very well at night, but this day, his sprained ankle ached throbbing. He wondered if it was because he had talked about Japanese pirates with Chu Junfeng before bed, but in his dreams that night, a dark shadow would suddenly emerge from the ground, raise a Japanese sword, and rush straight at him. Every time Mo Xibei drew his sword to block, the shadow would disappear again. This happened several times, and Mo Xibei felt suffocated. He barely opened his eyes and saw a dark shadow flash by at the door.

"Who?" She rose silently, slowly drew her sword, and suddenly leaped out of the tent, rushing to the door.

As soon as the door opened, a person who had been standing at the door peeking out flew up as lightly as the wind and landed on the opposite courtyard wall. Before Mo Xibei could chase after him, he simply waved his hand, and a silver object flew straight over like a shooting star. Mo Xibei was about to leap up, so he naturally didn't have time to dodge. He could only flick his sleeve and catch it, and then couldn't help but let out a "Huh".

Based on the speed at which the hidden weapon flew, Mo Xibei estimated that even if he caught it, his sleeve would inevitably be torn. However, the moment he caught the hidden weapon, Mo Xibei was surprised to find that the force of the hidden weapon was completely consumed in the middle of the flight. What was caught in his sleeve at this moment seemed to be just something that someone had handed him from nearby.

In that moment of hesitation, the man in black had already vanished. When Mo Xibei looked down, she saw that what she had rolled up in her sleeve was just a small bottle. Unable to contain her curiosity, she put on deerskin gloves and slightly opened the bottle cap. Soon, the smell of liniment filled the air.

For a fleeting moment, she thought she would burst into tears and then fly into a rage, throwing the liniment somewhere far, far away where she couldn't see it, hoping to escape its sight. But as she raised her hand, the object in her grasp felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, weighing heavily on her palm, leaving her utterly powerless.

Finally, she slowly let go, the liniment swirling in the bottle, her palm feeling a chill. "What is this, Mu Feinan?" she murmured. She knew Mu Feinan hadn't gone far; he must still be nearby. "You think I wouldn't know it was you just because of this?"

Volume 3, Chapter 13 (Part 1)

"What? You know who it is?" Chu Junfeng's voice suddenly came from the side. "It's so late. Why are you standing at the door? Did something happen?" He asked, his voice carrying a faint sense of peace that broke through the frosty night.

Mo Xibei almost instinctively lowered his sleeve to block the broken wine bottle in his hand, took a deep breath, and then gracefully turned around. "It's my turn to ask you. Why are you at my door so late?" "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight, I couldn't sleep, so I couldn't resist coming out for a walk." Chu Junfeng stood at the courtyard gate with his hands behind his back, not coming in, and casually added, "I think I just saw a dark shadow dart up from this side, and when I came over, I saw you standing at the door. Is someone spying on us?"

"Oh, probably not. I just had a nightmare, and when I woke up I felt some noise in the yard, but when I went out to check, there was nothing there." Mo Xibei shrugged, and just then a night breeze blew by, so he said, "It's probably just a strong wind that's making the trees sway. In this season, such a cool wind probably means it's going to rain."

"Maybe." Chu Junfeng nodded, seeing Mo Xibei yawning as if he was about to go back to sleep, he hesitated for a while, but finally couldn't help asking, "How's your foot? Does it still hurt?"

"It's nothing, just a little sore. If it's still not better by tomorrow morning, I'll rub it with some medicated wine." Mo Xibei wanted to say it was completely fine, but even from several meters away and in the thick darkness of the night, she could see the concern and worry in his eyes, and she couldn't help but be moved. Some feelings are destined to be unrequited, so why deceive him?

"Then... you should go to sleep early." Chu Junfeng nodded and turned to leave. His current residence was next to Mo Xibei's courtyard, and he returned to his room in just a few steps. After closing the door, he slumped onto the bed, and only then did he slowly extend his hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve, revealing a bottle of liniment for bruises.