The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Xun Hao was both amused and exasperated: "Lord Xuande cares deeply for the people, and General Zhao is exceptionally brave and skilled. I admire him; what's wrong with that?"

"Inappropriate? Of course it's inappropriate." Guo Jia stopped, turned around to face him, took a step closer, and lowered his voice, "You admire them, but what about me? In your heart, how do I compare to them?"

This sudden question left Xun Hao speechless. He looked at Guo Jia's face, so close to his own, his eyes, which always held a hint of a smile, were now filled with seriousness. Guo Jia's warm breath brushed against his face, making his heart skip a beat.

"Fengxiao is naturally different," Xun Hao said in a low voice, avoiding his burning gaze.

Guo Jia persisted, asking, "How is it different?" He reached out, grabbed Xun Hao's chin, and forced him to look up and meet his gaze.

"They are the stars of the future, and you..." Xun Hao paused, looking into Guo Jia's deep eyes, and slowly said, "You are the moon beside me."

These words made Guo Jia's fingers, which were gripping his chin, stiffen slightly. The piercing sharpness in his eyes instantly melted into a pool of spring water.

Guo Jia stared at him blankly for a long while, then suddenly chuckled softly. He released his hand and instead ruffled Xun Hao's hair, his tone returning to its usual languidness, but with a hint of doting: "You're smart to know what's good for you."

Their interaction was witnessed by Xun Yu and Xun You, who had come looking for them from not far away. Xun You watched with great interest, while Xun Yu's face was as black as ink. He coughed heavily, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere.

Guo Jia turned around and saw Xun Yu's dark face. Instead of calming down, he put his arm around Xun Hao's shoulder even more forcefully, raised an eyebrow at Xun Yu, and looked smug, as if to say, "What can you do to me?" Xun Hao was caught in the middle and felt a splitting headache.

Back in the guest tent, Xun Yu's face was so dark it could wring water. He didn't look at Guo Jia, but said to Xun Hao, "Yanruo, come out with me for a moment."

Xun Hao glanced at Guo Jia, nodded, and prepared to follow. Guo Jia frowned and subconsciously took a step to follow.

"Fengxiao." A hand blocked his way. "This is a matter for the Xun family."

Guo Jia turned around and saw Xun You looking at him with a smile.

Xun You, seemingly oblivious to Guo Jia's displeasure, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and pushed one towards Guo Jia as well. "Uncle Wenruo is currently in a foul mood. If you go with him, you'll only add fuel to the fire. Why don't you stay here a while and chat with this idle man?"

Guo Jia stared at him, and Xun You returned the gaze without backing down.

After a while, Guo Jia suddenly laughed, withdrew his steps, and leaned back against the corridor pillar, resuming his lazy demeanor.

"Very well. I'd like to hear what Mr. Gongda has to say."

On the other side, in a secluded corner.

"Yanruo, aren't you and Fengxiao getting a little too close?" Xun Yu stopped and asked in a low voice, his voice filled with worry.

"What does elder brother want to say?" Xun Hao asked calmly.

"What do I want to say?" Xun Yu turned around and looked at his younger brother with a complicated expression. "I am not questioning Fengxiao's talent. His wisdom and resourcefulness are unparalleled. However, he does not follow conventional etiquette, and since you and I are now in the Allied camp, there are many people and much gossip. The fact that the two of you are inseparable has already attracted a lot of idle talk."

"Brother, I understand your worries." Xun Hao's voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear. "But Brother Fengxiao is not what you think. He saved my life, more than once. In Luoyang, if it weren't for him, I would already be dead."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "It's my own business, I know what I'm doing. I won't bring shame to the family."

Xun Yu wanted to say something more, but Xun Hao's eyes darted around, and he gently tugged at Xun Yu's sleeve, his voice carrying a hint of grievance and lingering fear: "Brother... you're only concerned with criticizing me, you don't know, I almost didn't get to see you today."

Xun Yu's heart skipped a beat, and all the lectures on reputation and etiquette were instantly thrown to the winds. He grabbed Xun Hao's shoulders abruptly, looking him up and down, his voice trembling: "What did you say? What happened? Are you injured?"

Xun Hao leaned closer, as if he had found a pillar of support, and said in a low voice, "In Gongsun Zan's camp, some soldiers were practicing martial arts, and a long spear flew out of their hands... It was Brother Fengxiao. Without thinking, he stood in front of me to block it." He pointed to his chest, "If it weren't for him, that spear would have pierced my body."

Xun Yu's face turned pale instantly. He carefully examined Xun Hao, his hands trembling slightly: "Really? Were you frightened? Is anything wrong?"

Xun Hao shook his head, looked up at him, and said, "I'm fine. Brother, I understand your worries. But Fengxiao is a confidant to whom I would entrust my life."

Looking at his younger brother's incredibly earnest face, Xun Yu's resentment turned into a long sigh. What else could he say? Reprimand the person who had risked his life to save his brother? He couldn't.

He patted Xun Hao on the shoulder, "That's enough... You... Take care of yourself. In all things, prioritize your own safety."

Xun Hao stood there, watching his brother's departing figure, and murmured a sentence softly in a voice only he could hear.

"Brother... telling me to stay away from Brother Fengxiao is really taking my life..."

This was his genuine feeling about the [Legacy Plan] system within him that needed to be "recharged." Without Guo Jia as his "power bank," his life could end at any moment.

However, he didn't notice that Guo Jia inside the tent had been listening intently to the sounds outside. When that whisper, as light as a feather, reached his ears, Guo Jia's entire body stiffened abruptly.

He leaned against the tent flap, motionless, his languid expression freezing instantly. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, then a deep, bright smile slowly spread from the depths of his eyes.

So, Yanruo's feelings for me have reached this point!

Just then, a scout stumbled and crawled into the camp, screaming hoarsely.

"Report—!"

"Dong Zhuo's general... Hua Xiong..." The scout gasped for breath, his eyes filled with terror, "leading the Xiliang cavalry, they've reached the camp's front lines... they're... they're challenging them to battle!"

Xun Hao looked towards Luoyang and saw dust billowing in the distance from the allied camp gate. A burly general, riding a tall horse and wielding a large sword, was leading a troop of cavalry, galloping and shouting ahead. His fierce and valiant aura could be felt even from afar.

"It's Hua Xiong, one of Dong Zhuo's valiant generals." Guo Jia appeared out of nowhere and stood beside them, his face grave. "It seems Dong Zhuo is getting impatient with us."

Yuan Shao urgently summoned the various warlords for a meeting. However, faced with the infamous Xiliang general, the warlords who had just been talking and boasting were now all looking down at the ground, their eyes downcast and their minds blank, and not one of them answered.